Biz-zay

Busy busy busy.

Life has been hectic and none of us have really been sleeping too well. The move, the switching of our address, and calling all of our services have been pure chaos. Norwegian businesses usually close at the usual hour of 3pm and now that many are taking on summer hours it has been a pain in the butt to get ahold of certain people. Our appointments, errands, and schedules are frightening, we still haven't unpacked half of our stuff, and we're still living out of boxes. Sigh.

One plus? At least my latest to-do list is pretty much complete.

[ETA]: The last of our belongings were packed up yesterday and most of what we own is just sitting in such a sad state in one of the bedrooms. I can't believe 90% of what we own could be fit into one room. We don't plan on spending so much money for furniture or renovations, but owning a much larger house leaves us with so many posibilities that are too hard to choose from. I just wonder when we'll actually have the time for this considering our vacation schedule next month.

In less than 14 hours everything was moved from one house to the next. If only unpacking and trying to figure out where everything will go was as easy. The only clear thought I've had about the move is that I am going to be so happy watching our children grow up here. This move was not just for us, but for them. We upgraded from our cozy old house (nearly 100 years old) to a spacious 3-bedroom home with 2 storeys and a huge attic that can easily be converted to guest space. We had to compromise on the view but we now have a great view of the mountains, gained an immense amount of property, and the location is still perfect for us.

Oh, but at the moment we're without a home phone or internet. I'm being a bad girl and stealing the neighbour's wireless for a few moments just to catch up because I'm too cheap to use my mobile phone's connection. Wah wah.

I haven't posted in almost two weeks. Hmmm. I suppose all the packing and cleaning (not to mention obsessive organizing) has kept me away. There are so many things I think about posting, but the updates seem less important as the days go by. I don't know, maybe I just don't have time for this anymore. I've been keeping a blog since 2001 and have always kept it public with a registered domain, but lately I feel like it's completely unnecessary. I really don't have time for much of anything these days that isn't related to the kids, food, or work. It's a shame too since I have so many ideas that flash through my mind at a constant pace. Anyhow...

The move is keeping us incredibly busy. The new owners (which should become official by the end of next week) are always popping in asking questions and taking measurements, there is a mass of stored items that need to be given away or tossed, and we're short on boxes and large garbage bags for clothes and other items. Almost every night Ørjan is on my laptop designing our new kitchen with his IKEA programme. Despite thinking it's sweet (since the kitchen is MY room and it's his gift to me) it's also annoying having him keep me up at night with the laptop in bed. That's another thing - I barely sleep. I have so little time and my mind is so scattered during the afternoons that when I should be napping I'm making lists and organizing things that probably don't require it.

I wish I had more time to laugh a bit easier but there's so little time to enjoy moments that warrant laughter. I wonder if this is due to life, parenthood, or life as a parent. I'm happy, but just tired. At least I have nothing to complain about. I have my health, a wonderful family, and opportunities that I never thought I'd have.

We're movin' on up!

This morning I dragged us out to see the new house. Ørjan and his parents visited it for inspection last night while I watched the kids so I was very eager to see it once again. I practically nagged Ørjan out of bed early, fed and dressed the kids, and pushed us out the door despite the rainfall. Yep, I still love it. We went through every room taking measurements and notes, and I ran around photographing every inch. We have so many plans and are so eager to move in, but in all honesty, I'm still sad to be leaving this place and I dread having to pack everything. What's funny is that while we were leaving and walking down the driveway, the couple that bought our house was driving by and stopped us. Maybe it's a sign that we're meant to move on and forward.

We're both getting ahead of ourselves with the renovation planning, but it's also nice to know that Ørjan is also willing to be part of the decor of the house. We've already made lists, tagged our catalogues, and made notes of which items and which stores we'll be scouring for antiques when we visit Prague this summer. I guess we're just so excited that things are finally working out.

It's hard to think that it's all over. When we first decided to put the house up for sale we were uncertain, but knew it had to be done. Ørjan was extremely reluctant but I gave him the favourite jeans metaphor and he soon realized it was time to move on. (I'm sure everyone has a favourite pair of clothing that they eventually wear, tear, and need to replace.) We were toying with the idea of increasing our loan to build out, but I knew if we built out, we'd lose most of our property and it might not be worth the money or effort. We have two children and need to consider what's best for them. After years of unhappiness about living in Norway I realized I was wrong. This place is great for families and we should be trying to find a home that suits our new life. He was somewhat stuck on the idea of moving to Canada but I just can't conceive living there. I loved growing up there, but life over here is much slower and values are different.

We're so lucky to be able to look out from our windows and see the mountains and fjørds. There is little to no crime here, we live our windows and doors unlocked, and the air is so crisp and clean. Summers are gorgeous with the midnight sun, the lack of humidity, and boatrides and trips to the beach are just a 10 minute walk from home. I used to think that living in such a small town was ruining my life, but now I enjoy having the comfort of closer neighbours and people that stop to say hello. (Despite the fact that everyone gossips like mad.) Anyhow... this was totally not what I was going to write about.

The new house is great. We wanted it last year but missed out, but believe it was now the right time. The couple that will be taking over our house wants to move in quickly and we have no problem with that since we're also eager to move, but I'm going to be so sad when we have to hand over the keys and everything is finalized. We put so much time, money, and effort into this place and now we're giving it away. My sadness for losing this place even trumps my happiness for our new house. Oh well. It's life.

More later.

Boy for sale...

It's official. We signed the contracts this afternoon. Our house, our little baby, it's now for sale. :(

Our agent was very optimistic that we could get our asking price or more very quickly and also let it slip that a few more places are going up for sale in the next little while.

Now we wait.

The Waiting Game of Real Estate

We are in quite a dilema at the moment. The notion of moving has always been there and it's burning a severely smoldered hole in the back of my head. Should we move to Canada? Should we find a bigger place in Hemnesberget? Should we try moving to the south? When we found out that I was pregnant with Sophie it was immediate chaos when it came to our current residence. Do we move or do we build out the house? Ørjan has already created several floorplans for the three rooms and is anxious to get started, but I on the otherhand have no desire to build out just yet (since the kids are so young and there's no rush) and would rather wait to see if something else comes out on the market. We live in a small place with a huge elderly demographic. (It's only a matter of time before they move to a nursing/retirement home or umm... die, right? Then I'm sure a house will go up.) There are a couple of places for sale in our town but they just haven't seemed right.

There's a house for sale (was previously owned by good friends) that we've thought about but it requires massive renovation outside (insulation and panels). The profit we'd earn from selling our current house would probably go towards that and not interior renovation or redecorating. Sigh.

PROS:

• The house is HUGE - 4 bedrooms and 3 full floors
• Located in a family/child-friendly neighbourhood
• Was recently renovated x2 (But I'd like to gut some of it... Just not my style)
• We'd be starting again - new house means redecorating and new home projects!

CONS:

• We'd be losing the gorgeous view that we already have!
• We'd no longer be in the sentrum (We don't own a car - the walk in the winter would be tougher.)
• We'd have to let go of a house we've put so much time, effort, and money into. (Then and Now)
• Our nextdoor neighbour would be one of the town's police officers (My life is not a BBC police-mystery series)

Anyhow... We still have alot more to think about. We might call the owner today and go for a quick browse to get a better feeling since looking at photos online can only give you so much.