A Tale of Two Trips (Laugarvatn & Paris)
[Photos taken on 28 April to 1 May 2017, posted online 7 August 2017. Bjarki’s room has been rearranged!]
In opposition to all the social research which indicates that looking forward to trips for a long time is good for the soul, we sprung Anna’s confirmation trip to Paris on her, giving her less than a week to anticipate it!
Mostly this was because we had the hardest time deciding what to give her that she would like, especially since mostly she wanted a horse! But, as it was becoming apparent that we would not be visiting Paris during our upcoming trip to France this summer, Anna was sad, so to Paris she got sent!
Now, as Finnur and Anna were going to be away, I decided to utilize our designated weekend at the Laugarvatn summer house, but worried about Bjarki and Emma arguing nonstop. Therefore I borrowed two kids as playmates, the middle kid of my oldest brother, and the son of my brother Pétur, who also tagged along, but avoided the camera somehow! (39 images total)
Friday 28 April 2017
Anna and Finnur stopped by my workplace to hand over some misplaced car keys.
Mom-Morning, Dinner, 2nd Birthday, and a Walk
[Photos taken on 24 April 2017, posted online 5 August 2017. Emma’s room has been purged of unwanted things and tidied!]
The week after Anna’s confirmation:
Emma’s daycare had a mom-morning, my dad and company came for dinner, we celebrated my nephew’s second birthday, and I went for a late evening walk. (13 images total)
Monday 24 April 2017
Daycare likes to ask the kids questions in preparation for certain days, like when moms or dads stay with them for an hour in the morning to socialize and look around. Here are questions regarding “mom”.
Confirmation Wrap-Up
[Photos taken on 24 April 2017, posted online 31 July 2017. Today I stained our decks!]
When we’d arrived home after the confirmation party, downstairs was in such a disarray (after the photo-shoot etc!) that I just had to tidy up before presents could be opened. That wasn’t done until 11 pm, by which time Anna was pale with exhaustion, so present-opening got postponed for a day.
She ended up getting lots of wonderful gifts, and a good chunk of money, as is customary. We thank everybody for their generosity!!
Anna had been too exhausted to open her presents the night before, so the bonanza got opened the day after.
Anna Sólrún’s Confirmation & Party
[Photos taken on 23 April 2017, posted online 30 July 2017. Since the last post we’ve spent 10 days in France, and a week at a summer house!]
Anna’s civil confirmation day was a beautiful one.
The civil confirmation, held by Siðmennt, the secular ethical humanist organization of Iceland, is a version of the religious confirmation/Bar & Bat Mitzvah/Rite of passage concept, and consist of a 12 week course where various topics are covered, while encouraging critical and philosophical thinking.
At the end of the course there is a ceremony where some of the kids perform, a speaker holds forth, and the kids get certificates for completing the course.
Afterwards there is traditionally a celebratory party! (A large majority of kids in Iceland still get religiously confirmed, but the secular group keeps growing every year.) For the kids, it’s all about the gifts, but for the parents it’s a chance to show off their awesome kids, surrounded by friends and family.
Here are 66 photos from the day. Click here to see ALL the 124 photos!
The proud parents outside Salurinn, the auditorium where the ceremony was held. It was the third and last such civil ceremony of the day.
Anna’s Confirmation Photos
[Photos taken on 23 April 2017, posted online 06 July 2017. It’s wet out there!]
Right after Anna returned from the hairdressers, and before we hopped off to the confirmation ceremony, I took photos of Anna in our living room.
As it happened, the sun had a direct line of sight into one side of the living room, meaning light conditions were wonky, but it sure made the colors pop!
Furthermore, these photos have only been manipulated by me in Picasa (mostly contrast and lighting, and a lot of backdrop wrinkle removal), but it’ll have to do for now.
On to the photos! (15 images total)
Anna Sólrún, about to be confirmed!
Confirmation Day Preparations
[Photos taken 17 to 22 April 2017, posted online 5 July 2017. The summer holiday looms!]
The week after Easter Sunday was in large part spent preparing for the big (80 person) confirmation party we were about to host the following Sunday.
We tried to keep things fairly laid back, but there was a test-hairdo appointment, old photos to sort through and get printed, finalizing decorations, finalizing food matters, hiring a helper, sorting out flowers, actually setting up the room, etc., etc…
I’m pretty sure we spent more time organizing this party than we did organizing our own wedding! But it was (mostly) fun, and nobody quite freaked out. (25 images total)
Monday 17 April 2017
(Second Day of Easter = Public Holiday)
That Monday I took off to a new cafe in Hafnarfjörður to finish picking out old photos of Anna. I think that’s Bjarki sliding down a hill on the screen though!
Easter Sunday (aka Chocolate Day) 2017
[Photos taken on Easter Sunday 16 April 2017, posted online on 03 July 2017. At my favorite cafe!]
Yet another year, yet another Easter Sunday, also known as The Day of Chocolate.
Now, because I can, here are links to the Easter Posts/Photos from previous years:
- 2016 – Feast at Finnur’s parents’ house in Iceland (Finnur wins the whist tournament again!),
- 2015 – Feast at Finnur’s parents’ house in Iceland (Finnur wins the whist tournament!),
- 2014 – Feast at Finnur’s parents’ house in Iceland,
- 2013 – Feast at Finnur’s parent’s house in Iceland, and Emma gets her name ,
- 2012 – Feast at Finnur’s parent’s house in Iceland (Google photos),
- 2011 – Feast at Finnur’s parents’ house in Iceland (Google photos),
- 2010 – Feast in our duplex in Mountain View, with August and Sarah (Google photos),
- 2009 – Potluck in our duplex in Mountain View, with the families of Edda, Sigga, Soffía, and Sólveig,
- 2008 – Hidden Villa Easter egg hunt in the woods with Anna’s daycare group, then candy-feast in our Stanford apt.,
- 2007 is missing!,
- 2006 – In Hawaii with Guðrún and Snorri (aka Finnur’s crab feast!),
- 2005 – Hrefna and Anna in Iceland. We ate eggs with Hrefna’s brothers, then visited Finnur’s parents,
- 2004 – Anna’s first Easter feast, held in our Mountain View apartment, with Kerri, Augusto and Sarah,
- 2003 is missing!,
- 2002 – Feast at Gunnhildur and Jón’s í Los Angeles,
- 2001 – Feast in our Stanford high-rise apartment, with Kerri, Todd, Tally, Viola and Carlo.
Good times! And now for some photos from this year! (49 images total!)
The kiddos with their Easter eggs.
Walks, Visits, and a Rock Opera
[Photos taken 04 – 15 April 2017, posted online 01 July 2017. I sure hope the next update isn’t in August!]
The first half of April included Hrefna (me) taking lots of walks, Pétur and Fannar visiting, seeing a rock opera, visiting Finnur’s parents’ summer house, and going swimming, while trying not to freak out about organizing the upcoming confirmation party for Anna. (55 images total )
Tuesday 04 April 2017
Pétur and Fannar came over for dinner and a soak. Fannar turned out to have a small infection by one of his fingernails. so we tried to protect it with a plastic bag. Aaaalmost succeeded!
Baldur’s Confirmation
[Photos taken on 02 April 2017, posted online on 01 July 2017. Maybe.]
Baldur, the middle child of our good friends Guðrún and Snorri, got civilly confirmed on this rather rainy Sunday. I had agreed to serve as photographer, so his dad brought him over to our house for a 30 minute photo session in our living room, and then I shot photos at the party after the ceremony. (27 images total)
Mr. Baldur, about to be civilly confirmed.
Fundraising Choir and Dinner with Friends
[Photos from 01 April 2017, posted online 01 JULY 2017. Three months behind now. Is catching up even doable?!]
Bjarki’s been singing with the school choir this year, mostly because the practices happen to fall on school time, and one of his bests friends is in it too.
For the past three years the choir has joined with other choirs, conducted by the same conductor, to perform as one to fund a charity.
This year the charity concert was held in a church in the Grafarvogur suburb of Reykjavík, and it was very nice.
After the concert, Bjarki and I visited a new coffee house, and then we all drove to our friends Ragnar and Agnes where we ate dinner. (17 images and 1 video total)
Looking at the combined choir, and a small portion of the audience.