![\"\"](\"https:\/\/hrefna.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/12\/IMG_0951.jpg\" "\\"IMG_0951\\"")
<\/a>A salad in the pre-tossing stage next to an aperitif.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/a>Bjarki and Anna in a white leather chair.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Sif as seen by Bjarki.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Halld\u00f3r the Host chatting to Snorri and Sif.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The kids quickly disappeared into the office where a video was playing on a laptop. I hardly knew they were there from that point on... Also, note the nice view out the window!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Elsa, Snorri, Gu\u00f0r\u00fan (due in late January) and Soff\u00eda chat in the kitchen.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Soff\u00eda!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Snorri getting ready to carve turkey #1.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Soff\u00eda, L\u00e1ra the Hostess, and a carving Snorry.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Eggert opens cans of yellow corn. Fresh corn is hard to find in Iceland, and very expensive when it pops up.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Mmmmm... tuuuuurkey!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>J\u00f3n\u00edna, Gu\u00f0r\u00fan and Elsa chat in the formal living room.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Time for dinner!! Soff\u00eda and L\u00e1ra model by the food, while L\u00e1ra is still busy hosting and coordinating.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>People in line for the food.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Jolly people in a food line.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>J\u00f3n\u00edna.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The kids got to eat first, before heading back to laptop-land, and thus making way for the rest of the adults.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The adults slowly moving in.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Soff\u00eda and \u00c1g\u00fast's twins, Atli Freyr and Breki Freyr, talk to J\u00f3n\u00edna and Eggert's Unnur. The twins were born a couple of weeks before Bjarki Freyr.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Anna and L\u00e1ra and Halld\u00f3r's N\u00f6kkvi Fannar in front of yet another laptop while the adults chat in the background.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>The kids have grown so much! Here are Kristbj\u00f6rg (Elsa & \u00der\u00e1inn), Sif (Gu\u00f0r\u00fan & Snorri), Jakob (J\u00f3n\u00edna & Eggert) and \u00c1g\u00fast Bjarki (Soff\u00eda & \u00c1g\u00fast).<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Sometimes it's hard being three. I waaaaaaant!!<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Post-dinner pre-dessert chatting. Next to Soff\u00eda are two of her eight children: Gunnar and Alma Hildur.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>More post-dinner pre-dessert chatting.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Elsa, the brothers Egill Almar and Stef\u00e1n (Soff\u00eda & \u00c1g\u00fast's), Snorri and \u00c1g\u00fast in the middle of a thought... and yes, Bjarki coming over to complain of ill treatment. Did I mention he's three?<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Elsa & \u00der\u00e1inn's \u00de\u00f3rd\u00eds.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Elsa and \u00de\u00f3rd\u00eds.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Elsa and Gu\u00f0r\u00fan chatting while \u00de\u00f3rd\u00eds peeks.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>L\u00e1ra gives herself a moment to sit down.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Elsa.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Dessert! The siblings Sigtryggur & \u00de\u00f3rd\u00eds, and Anna & Bjarki.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Post-dessert the kids migrated into the tv-lounge. We left soon thereafter since it was getting late, and we needed to get leftovers to poor sick Finnur.<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Last image of the evening, after a very successful Thanksgiving feast. Thank you all! \ud83d\ude42<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
While we lived in California, we met quite a few Icelanders, many of whom became good friends of ours. \u00a0As it happens, many of the Icelanders we got to know in California moved back to Iceland before we did. \u00a0Needless to say, it’s been a lot of fun re-connecting with our old CA-friends. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n
Back in California, there was a ‘core’ group of Icelandic families that often met up, and, for example, went camping together. \u00a0This group has stayed in touch in Iceland, and we were thrilled to be invited to a thanksgiving potluck this past weekend at L\u00e1ra’s and Halld\u00f3r’s place the Saturday after the official US Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n
We took on bringing the gravy (“brown sauce”, Finnur’s speciality) and waldorf (apple\/walnut\/celery\/grape) salad (Hrefna likes chopping things!). \u00a0Unfortunately, Finnur apparently got some random energy-zapping bug that Saturday, so by noon-time he barely had energy to get the gravy going before collapsing into bed for an hour. \u00a0He did manage to finish the huge pot of gravy, but stayed behind while I took the kids to the party.<\/p>\n