Dagbók Hrefnu og Finns

To Amsterdam / Cheese Tasting / Canal Dinner Cruise

2024-04-25Finnur's family, Holland Standard

[Photos taken 25 April 2024. Posted online 26 August 2024. Volcano is still going, and it’s the first day of elementary school. The weather is finally nice enough to stain wood!]

Finnur’s parents had both turned 80 years old in the past year, so the siblings decided to replicate previous big-birthdays, and go abroad with them for a long weekend.

Miraculously, they managed to agree on a location and dates, although Icelandair did its very best to throw them off. Both of the flights that we had booked ended up getting cancelled (probably didn’t sell enough seats), and we were instead re-booked on same-day flights, but with less optimal departure times.

We got up at the crack of dawn (which is quite early in late April), fetched Finnur’s parents and drove to the airport. This was a child-free trip, and I was one of two spouses.

Thursday 25 April 2024

The view from my window as we approached Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.

Confirmation / New Bed / Office Move

2024-04-13Us Standard

[Photos taken 13 – 24 April 2024, posted online 25 August 2024. Last night, we drove past the active volcano that erupted this past Thursday, as we had dinner with friends that live close by. Was cool, erm, fiery!]

The second confirmation party of this season was lovely. (We had invites for three others, but were traveling for all of them!?!). I took a few photos of the newly-confirmed-one before the party started, which is always so much fun.

The following days were busy with Emma finally getting a bigger bed, some spring cleaning, haircuts, moving offices at work, and goodbye events, although I still had a good month to go at work.

Saturday 13 April 2024

Confirmation flowers as table decoration.

Partial Eclipse / Ego-Lifting / Fireplace Arrives

2024-04-07Us Standard

[Photos taken 07 – 12 April 2024, posted online 24 August 2024. Last night the wind howled, and it felt like winter had arrived, minus the snow.]

I managed to scope out a jogging route amid trees on a windy Sunday, but had to admit that my left heel wasn’t enjoying life as much as it should. I therefore focused more on weight lifting, but then managed to strain my lower back during an “ego-lift” (defined as: “It’s when you lift weights that are too heavy for you, without proper form or technique. It’s about prioritizing your ego over your physical health and strength-building goals.”) Oh well: you live, you learn.

At one point I just barely remembered there was an ongoing partial solar eclipse, but I think I still managed to sort-of score cool-points with the kids. I took Emma mattress-shopping, and a new fireplace arrived for the summer house (Finnur’s project). Due to “the fireplace-guy” being swamped this summer, the fireplace was only just installed a couple of days ago (22 August 2024).

Finally, I went in for a very informal job interview (result: no job for me), and prepped for a confirmation photoshoot. I guess it was a pretty busy week?!

Sunday 07 April 2024

Jogging path, stuck between winter and spring.

Post-Move Deep-Clean / Sarah Millican Show

2024-04-01Hrefna's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 01 – 06 April 2024, posted online 23 August 2024. The elementary school doled out the schedule today, and the weather played along with blustery chilly autumn winds.]

After the last of my siblings moved out from mom’s place, a lot of space opened up, and the opportunity to deep-clean in “peace and quiet” before mom returned from Sweden was too good to pass up. (Mom’s health isn’t quite up to deep-cleaning any more, and she’s done more than her share of cleaning in life so far!)

My sister-in-law and myself showed up, ready to remove some dust-bunnies, and move some furniture, leaving the children with their fathers. (For jobs like this, it’s easier just to get on with things, rather than rope other people into it, if they need to be instructed what to do. Instructions take mental energy!!)

Aside from getting dusty, there was a birthday party, gymming, my workplace decided to move the offices to a new building, a Sarah Millican show, picking mom up from the airport, and dinner with friends!

Second Day of Easter – Monday 01 April 2024

The big event of the month was the last of my brothers moving out of her apartment. Here he is with what he thought/hoped was the remainder of his stuff.

Easter 2024

2024-03-31Easter, Finnur's family, Us Standard

[Photos taken 31 March 2024, posted online 19 August 2024. This might be a week without rain!?! Fittingly, the big kids start school today.]

We arrived back from Sweden in time for a very traditional Easter Sunday. Chocolate eggs were hidden at home, before we headed over to my in-laws for an Easter feast and social whist.

Easter Sunday 31 March 2024

Sweden / Paradox & Vasa Museums / To Iceland

2024-03-29Hrefna's family, Sweden, Us Standard

[Photos taken 29 – 30 March 2024, posted online 18 August 2024. Last night was decidedly chilly, fall is approaching.]

Black Friday is a public holiday in Sweden so everybody was available for a trip into Stockholm. We found a fun museum to visit, and once that was done, I dragged the kids and my brother to the Vasa museum, just because it’s cool.

The following day, we cleared out of our AirBnb, drove to the airport, and flew back to Iceland.

Friday 29 March 2024

Temporary Stockholm-ers, freshly out of the train-station.

Sweden / Technology Museum / Viewing-Farm

2024-03-27Hrefna's family, Sweden, Us Standard

[Photos taken 27 – 28 March 2024, posted online 17 August 2024. It’s my father-in-law’s birthday, which means the weather will be good!]

One of the staples of our city-trips, is visiting technology museums. We’d visited the same museum eight years before, but it had changed a whole lot in the intervening years. There was really just one area that I recognized!

The following day we explored a bit around where we were staying, which included visiting a “viewing-farm”.

Wednesday 27 March 2024

Outside the Museum of Technology in Stockholm, as we were leaving after a good visit.

Sweden / Mini-Golf / Uppsala / Electric Go-Kart

2024-03-25Hrefna's family, Sweden, Us Standard

[Photos taken 25 – 26 March 2024, posted online 16 August 2024. Seems like we’re in for a lovely day after heaps of rain. School starts next week.]

Our first day in Sweden was a quiet one. I hadn’t really given myself time to formally organize the trip much before we arrived, much to the consternation of some of my “we like a schedule” offspring.

Looking around, it became apparent that the Swedes are fairly “mall-oriented”. Weird entertainment things lurk in the basements of malls, so on our first day we went shopping and mini-golfing! My brother and his wife were both working while we were there, so we mostly met them in the afternoons/evenings.

Monday 25 March 2024

Kids mini-golfing in a mall basement. I hijacked the younger ones one-on-one to go upstairs and try on clothes, as they keep outgrowing theirs!

Grandma Turns 90 / Moving Assistance / To Sweden

2024-03-19Birthday, Sweden Standard

[Photos taken 19 – 24 March 2024, posted online 15 August 2024. The start of this entry was written in toasty Munich, Germany, but finished in fresh-but-wet-aired Iceland.]

Life returned to normal for a short moment after returning from Brussels. The primary event that week was my grandmother turning 90 years old. It’s hard to fathom all the changes she’s seen in her long life, and even weirder to think that she’s essentially lived for double the time I’ve been alive!?!

Then it was mental and physical preparations for our upcoming Easter trip to Sweden, to visit my brother and family that moved there in 2023. Along the way, we helped another brother move into his new apartment, and I resigned from my job.

Tuesday 19 March 2024

After my trip to Brussels, it was back to regular life, and who would greet me at the gym but a photo of my trainer brother “hanging out” in an aesthetically pleasing way!

Accidental Brussels Grand Place / To Iceland

2024-03-16Belgium Standard

[Photos taken 16 – 17 March 2024, posted online 02 August 2024. It’s a new month!]

The day after the concert I decided to hunt down a clothing store that I often get lucky in, and accidentally stumbled upon a whole shopping district, and the Grand Place (Grand Square)!

Dinner was quite French, and the following day I took the bus & train to the airport. The flight back to Iceland was uneventful, and the weather welcomed me home with wind and rain…