Horse-Camp, Laugarvatn, Birthday-Boy & Graduation Party #2
[Photos taken 24 – 30 June 2022, posted online 19 February 2023. Today is Emma’s second family birthday bash, and there’s a storm coming.]
Emma’s first two weeks at horse-camp came to a close with a ‘show’, where the kids paraded in a line, demonstrating speed and direction control. The following week saw the start of a new two-week camp.
We decided to visit Finnur’s parents at their summer house in Laugarvatn over the weekend, where Finnur helped his dad build yet another deck. Then Bjarki turned 15 years old, we had a celebratory dinner, and then a party with Finnur’s family where we also celebrated Anna’s graduation, as so many had been traveling when the actual graduation took place. (45-ish images total)
Friday 24 June 2022
Anna’s FG Graduation & e-Biking Njarðvíkurheiði
[Photos taken 28 – 31 May 2022, posted online 18 December 2022. After endless frosty days, we finally have snow… all the snow!]
After three years at FG (Fjölbrautaskólinn í Garðabæ), Anna graduated/matriculated with her “student’s diploma”, allowing her to enter university. She did a really good job, especially in light of the whole covid-situation, and months and month of remote learning and zero socialization.
We attended the graduation ceremony, and then we received family and friends in one of the houses at Árbæjarsafn, aka the “old houses museum. It was an absolutely gorgeous day, and almost capped off one of the most insanely busy months in recent memory!
The last ‘event’ of this May-Mayhem was an e-bike ride out on Njarðvíkurheiði, by the international airport. And with that, May finally came to a close! (80-ish images total)
Saturday 28 May 2022
Social Life Catch-up Begins
[Photos taken 23 – 25 April 2022, posted online 18 September 2022. Two weeks left of my current job. Got two flat tires out in the country after a hike yesterday.]
Iceland had declared Covid-19 done and over with. Thus, in a fit of optimism mixed with blissful ignorance, I signed up for an e-biking group that would go on 1-2 rides per week for 9 weeks. It caused a bit of a scheduling mess, as in one week I was due to go on two hikes, and two e-bike rides… also known as couch-to-insanity.
The weekend before the first bike-outing set the tone with a lunch, a reunion, and a birthday-party! (25-ish images total)
Saturday 23 April 2022
Easter 2022
[Photos taken 17 – 22 April 2022, posted online 10 September 2022. Time has gone on fast forward again.]
After two years of non-standard Easter days, we went right back to tradition: Chocolate egg hunt at home, and late lunch and social whist at Finnur’s parents’ place with most of his family. There were two more public holidays in the following week, for weird reasons, but I’m not complaining!
We managed to complete a few spring-related activities, and kept going to the office! (40-ish images total.)
Easter Sunday 17 April 2022
Comedy, Spring, Birthday #2 & Denmark!
[Photos taken 01 – 10 April 2022, posted online 25 July 2022. The weather is calm.]
We took the big kids to see a year-end-themed comedy show that had been scheduled for late December. It was interesting that the audience-appetite for covid jokes was low, it seems like we kind of just want to be done with the whole thing.
Then spring began to really spring forward, and it was time for some gardening. Just before departing for Denmark, we managed to host the 2nd birthday party for Emma for my side of the family. Then we departed for Denmark as the Easter holiday was up on us! (50-ish images total)
Friday 01 April 2022
Concert, Gym-Meet, Hike, Dress-Up & Snow
[Photos taken 11 – 18 March 2022, posted online 19 July 2022. Still working on the living room, the white wall has now got five coats of paint, six if you count the wrong white. This was not supposed to take four days!! Meanwhile, Finnur & Emma are in Laugarvatn, he’s helping his dad build a new deck.]
Slowly but surely, the covid-postponed events started actually happening, and life in general got busier!
First up was a Damon Albarn concert in Harpa. I’d bought two tickets in January 2020 for a June 2020 concert with a gift card I got from work on my 5th work anniversary, but hadn’t really decided on who to take with me (Finnur is not a concert-enthusiast). Not surprisingly, the concert got postponed to March 2021, and then 2022.
Happily, my cousin Ríkey was up for a cultural outing, and we even tried the new restaurant Hnoss, on the first floor of Harpa, which is run by people that were/are in charge of the cafeteria at work (Marel)!
Then it was time for a non-masked team-gym meet, there was a bit of shopping and gymming, Bjarki’s hair got cut, I went for a hike by the sea, Anna got dressed up for an outing with friends, snow kept falling, but at least the days were getting noticeably longer. (50-ish images total)
Friday 11 March 2022
Celebrations, Ice-Removal & Recovery
[Photos taken 01 – 09 March 2022, posted online 18 July 2022. Summer vacation has begun, and I’ve spent the first days painting the living room. Got the wrong white and ugh, lots of wasted work!]
We slowly but surely shook off Covid as the big domestic wave of infections began receding, and all restrictions were lifted. The vaccination campaign was a huge success, as very few people landed in hospital. However, the jury is still out on how Iceland’ll do with regards to long-covid.
We birthdays and our wedding anniversary, cleared away a lot of ice, went to house #2 in adventurous conditions, and I tracked my post-covid progress on the rowing machine at the gym. (30-ish images)
Tuesday 01 March 2022
Emma’s 9th Birthday, Skis & Bagels
[Photos taken 12 – 14 February 2022, posted online 10 July 2022. Sitting in rainy Borgarnes, on my way home after some house #2 time. Trying to get over feeling like a parental failure.]
Emma’s last single-digit birthday was super-legit, with a party and everything. Mindful of covid, we first had a party with just Finnur’s family, and then had some health-hiccups before we could get to mine.
The day after I went and bought cross-country skis for myself. It’s a thing middle-aged women do apparently. I even went out for a bit!
Snow kept falling in copious amounts, and Anna made bagels while on a school-break. (30-ish images total)
Saturday 12 February 2022
Goodbye 2021!!
[Photos taken 31 December 2021, posted online 07 May 2022. Went to see Trevor Noah last night in a packed auditorium. Been a while since I laughed so hard!]
We all tested negative on PCR tests for Covid, so the New Year’s Eve party at Finnur’s parent’s place was ON!
However, as the day wore on, I began feeling more and more poorly, and in the end I decided to stay home, reading a book in bed, only venturing out at shortly before midnight to join with the others for a few photos and some fireworks.
And thus endeth 2021, may it never come back! (30-ish images)
Friday 31 December 2021
Yule 2021, Anna’s 18th Birthday & Self-Quarantine
[Photos taken 24 – 30 December 2021, posted online 01 May 2022. The past week included two 20+ km e-bike rides and two hikes, and I’m still mostly standing, if a bit stiffly.]
Finally, finally (!!!) yule arrived! To lessen tensions while waiting for the clock to strike 6 pm, and the formal start of Christmas, I took Emma out on a walk up to the observation point on a nearby hill. It was a little colder out than we expected, but it was a nice walk.
Mom and baby-bro Bjarni joined us for Christmas dinner, and opening of presents.
The following day we met Finnur’s extended family at his parents’ place for a yule day feast, and celebrated Anna’s 18th birthday! Late the following day one of the guests tested positive for covid, so we went on a self-imposed quarantine, with Finnur and Emma hunkering down at house #2, while the big kids and I whiled away the days in town. (85-ish images total)
Friday 24 December 2021
