Hectic

Den her weekend er godt nok tiltrængt efter en uge, hvor hver eneste aften har været et logistisk puslespil af “hvem gør hvad med hvilke børn”. Skolen og I særdeleshed sports sæsonen er skudt I gang igen, så Teresa skal hentes I bil hver eftermiddag kl 17, og det skal vi også lige have vænnet os til.

Mit kørekort (eller mangel på samme) fylder temmelig meget, men det har hjulpet gevaldigt at jeg nu kan hente timer hjem ved at køre Kristian og ungerne rundt. Fx kørte jeg op til Teresas skole torsdag aften og videre ud til en sportsbutik I den anden ende af byen og så hjem. Jeg har dog stadigt et gevaldigt hængeparti med parallel parkering og jeg har kapituleret og købt mig til et par køretimer for at få det lært ordentligt. Tendensen ser ud til at være at Kristians og mit forhold vil lide irreversibel skade, hvis han skal prøve at lære mig den slags……….. (og nej, det behøver vi ikke gå mere I detaljer med!).

This weekend is highly needed after a week where every night has been a logistical puzzle of "who does what with which children." School, and in particular sports season, is on once again and Teresa needs to be picked up by car every afternoon at 5, something we need to adjust to.

My driver's license (or lack thereof) takes up a lot of practice time as well, but it has helped tremendously that I can now get my hours in by driving Kristian and kids around. For example, I drove to Teresa’s School Thursday evening and out to a sports store at the other end of town afterwards before heading home. I still need to improve dramatically on my parallel parking though (she said as the first woman ever ;-) and I have capitulated and bought a couple of hours of instructed driving to get the hang of it properly. The trend seems to be to that Kristian's and my relationship will suffer irreversible damage if he should try to teach me this skill ........... (and no, we do not need to elaborate on that!)

Tirsdag aften var der sværd på programmet. Vi har prøvet at finde en fritidsaktivitet til Ulle som både han og resten af familien kan holde ud. Vores oprindelige plan var at smide ham på high schoolens ro-hold, da vi havde hørt at det var super godt. Det er sikkert rigtig nok, men eet kig på trænings skemaet var nok til at overbevise mig om, at det aldrig ville fungere. Træning efter skole et helt andet sted (hvor man selv skal sørge for transport derhen også) hver eftermiddag + stævner stort set hver weekend her I sensommeren a la “vi mødes på p-pladsen foran skolen kl 5 om morgenen og er hjemme igen sent om aftenen”. Tak, men nej tak. Han har snakket meget om at gå til fægtning og det viser sig at der ligger en sværdklub næsten lige rundt om hjørnet. Der er begynder hold med fægtning hver tirsdag aften I en time og derefter er der “fri leg” for sværd nørder I alle alder. Det var en stor success og for første gang I alt for lang tid, var Ulrik ikke til at hive hjem.

Tuesday night was all about swords. We have tried to find an activity for Ulrik which both he and the rest of the family can keep up with. Our original plan was to throw him on the high school rowing team, as we had heard that it was a super team. It is certainly true, but one look at the practice schedule was enough to convince me that it would never work. Practice after school somewhere else (where you have to arrange for transportation to get there) every afternoon + meetups almost every weekend here in late summer a la "we meet at the parking area in front of the school at 5 in the morning and get home late evening ". Thanks, but no thanks. He talked a lot about trying fencing and it turns out that there is a sword club almost just around the corner. There are beginner classes with fencing every Tuesday evening for an hour and then there is a "free play" session of sword fighting until 10PM with sword geeks in all age. It was a great success and for the first time in way too long, we had Ulrik begging to stay, because he had so much fun.

Onsdag var der såkaldt “capsule night” på high schoolen. Konceptet er, at forældrene får lov til at følge I deres børns fodspor for en aften, med præcis samme skema og endeløs vandren ad lange gange. Ulrik virker noget mindre stresset I år og efter at have mødt hans lærere kan jeg godt forstå det. Han har “engineering” som valgfag I første time hver dag, og det lader til at være en legeplads af problemløsning, hvor de får lov at bakse med alle aspekter af at løse en praktisk opgave. Hans engelsk undervisning foregår I det hyggeligste klasselokale, jeg nogensinde har set, hvor alle vægge er plastret til I reoler med bøger og plakater, hvor der er sofaer til fri afbenyttelse og hvor læreren fik alle forældre til at tabe underkæben, da han brød ud I en solid omgang poetry slam. Hans vision er, at alle hans elever skal lære at at elske at læse (han er selv forfatter) og en del af pensum er, at de skal deltage I 3 litteratur relaterede begivenheder I løbet af året. Det er da engagement på højt plan! Der er tysklæreren som man dårligt kan høre er amerikaner, den søde søde historie lærer, der har været på skolen I 30 år. Og nå ja, den noget livstrætte algebra lærer, der måske skulle overveje at gå på pension. Just saying…….

Wednesday was "capsule night" at the high school. The concept is that parents are allowed to follow in their children's footsteps for a night, with exactly the same classes and endless wandering up and down long hallways. Ulrik seems somewhat less stressed out this year and after meeting his teachers it makes sense. He has "engineering" as an elective course in the first hour each day, and it seems to be a playground for problem solving, where they are allowed to wrestle with all aspects of solving a practical task. His English Language Arts lessons take place in the friendliest classroom I have ever seen, where all the walls are covered in shelves with books and posters, where there are sofas, and where the teacher made all the parents drop their jaws when he broke out into a solid Poetry Slam poem. His vision is that all of his students should learn to love reading (he is also an author) and a part of the curriculum is that they must participate in three literature-related events during the year. That's what I call a motivated teacher! There is the German teacher you can hardly tell is American, the most emphatic history teacher who has been at the school for 30 years. And well, the somewhat weary algebra teacher who might consider retiring. Just saying .......

Torsdag aften var det Teresas skoles tur. Hun har fået en advisory lærer (kan sammenlignes med en klasselærer, men grupperne af børn og lærer skifter hvert år) hun var lidt bange for. Der var vist noget med en episode hvor Teresa havde forsøgt sig med liiiige at klemme sig igennem en dør samtidigt med hende, og det var IKKE gået så godt! Ja, hun er en skrap afroamerikansk dame, men det lyser ud af hende, at hun brænder for børnene (og for amerikansk historie). Hun har været med på den obligatoriske 8’th grade tur til Washington DC I 18 år I streg og når ungerne spørger hende, om hun ikke bliver træt af at gøre det igen og igen er svaret “men det er jo nye børn hver gang, og jeg ser det gennem deres øjne”. Der er den alt for flinke tysklærer, der troligt fodrer dem alle samme med Haribo vingummibamser og tager dem med til tysk julemarked I Chicago. Og så er der den temmeligt kontante og lidt skræmmende idræts lærer, der sørger for, at karakteren afspejler viljen til at prøve frem for talentet (eller mangel på samme). Igen og igen oplever vi at skolesystemet her I byen overgår vores forventninger og det kan mærkes på alles trivsel

On Thursday night it was time for Teresa's school. She has got an advisory teacher (comparable to a teacher, but the groups of children and teacher changes every year) she was a little afraid of to begin with. Something with an episode where Teresa had tried to squeeze through a door at the same time as her, and that did NOT go well! Yes, she's a tough African-American lady, but it is obvious that she is passionate about kids (and American history). She has been going on the mandatory 8'th grade trip to Washington DC for 18 years in a row and when the kids ask her if she doesn’t get tired of doing it over and over her reply is "but it's new children every time, and I see it through their eyes". There is the far too sweet German teacher who feeds them all Haribo Gummy Bears and takes them to the German Christmas market in Chicago. And then there's the rather strict and a little scary sports teacher who ensures that the grade reflects the willingness to try rather than talent (or lack thereof). Again and again we see that the school system here in Ann Arbor has exceeded our expectations and it is highly affecting everybody’s wellbeing in a good way.

Fredag var det Luca’s fødselsdag og selvom det var 10 år denne gang, kunne han dårligt være I sin krop af begejstring og stod da osse MEGA tidligt op og kom nærmest grædefærdig ind og vækkede os, da han var sikker på at vi havde glemt alt om det. Men fødselsdage her I huset starter altså ikke før EFTER kl 6,så I stedet fodrede han hund, klarede morgenluftetjansen og smuttede I seng igen så vi kunne “overraske” ham kl lidt over 6 med sang og gaver. Den slags bliver kun hyggeligere, når man tilsætter begejstret hund I sengen og kan komme hjem fra skole og bruge tiden på at bygge lego I stedet for at lave lektier, OG når man selv kan vælge dessert (bemærk lysene med farvede flammer).

Friday was Luca's birthday and even though it was 10 years this time, he could hardly contain the excitement and got up VERY early being almost tears as he was sure that we had forgotten all about it. But birthdays in this house do not start until AFTER 6AM, so instead he fed the dog, walked him and slipped back to bed so that we could "surprise" him a little later with singing and gifts. This whole thing only gets better when you throw an enthusiastic dog into the mix and when you can come home from school in the afternoon and build lego Instead of doing homework, AND when you can choose dessert (note the candles with colored flames).

Lørdag ser ud til at blive en våd omgang, og selvom Lucas største fødselsdagsønske var en campingtur kun for ham og hans far op til Mackinac Island, så var det vist et meget godt valg at aflyse fremfor at tilbringe en nat I telt I tordenvejr og derefter stå op til silende regn. 

Her til sidst får i lige et billede med af årets jordbær høst. Jow jow, vi har skam grønne fingre!

Saturday seems to be a wet day, and even though Lucas biggest birthday wish was a camping trip just for him and his Dad up to Mackinac Island, it seems to be wise choice to cancel rather than spend a night in a tent during a thunderstorm and then get up to pouring rain. 

Last but not least is a picture of our strawberry harvest this year. Very impressive.......

Numbers of the day

0 børn tilbage med een cifret alder (Tillykke Luca)

1 hund, der har fundet ud af at gavepapir er det fedeste i hele verden (flænse flænse)

2 x "capsule night" på hhv middle school og high school overstået i den forgangne uge. Det var i øvrigt en super oplevelse - mere om det senere

3 timers kørsel er det blevet til siden i mandags for undertegnede. Det er nu smart at være gift med kørelæreren

4 benet familiemedlem tjekkede i dag toiletkummen ud. Note to self - husk at lukke døren fremover.

5 var det første ciffer på uret da den nyslåede 10 årige kom ind og vækkede os med en stemme der næsten knækkede af skuffelse over om vi dog havde glemt ham. Suk

GODT det snart er weekend

0 kids left with a single digit age (congratulations Luca)

1 dog really likes gift wrapping (which ended up in little pieces all over)

2 x capsule night at middle school and high school are over with. I am super impressed with the teachers - more to follow later

3 hours of driving for yours truly since Monday. Being married to the instructor rocks

4 legged member of the family checked out the toilet bowl today. Note to self: remember to keep the door closed!

5 was the first digit on the clock this morning when we were woken up by a brand new 10 year old, who was so dissapointed with us obviously ignoring his birthday that his voice trembled. Sigh.

SO good that the weekend is right around the corner!

End of Summer

Labor Day er overstået hvilket officielt markerer enden på sommeren herovre. Langt om længe er skolerne åbnet igen mens poolen desværre er lukket. Ligesom sidste år tog vi turen op forbi Michigan State Fair (med mor her bag rattet!) og fik styret vores trang til bonderøv for et godt stykke tid. Hvor ellers finder man fåre rumper på række? Eller hører på råb om “cow coming through”? Eller spiser friturestegte twinkies og kæler med æsler? Nej vel?

Labor Day is over which officially marks the end of summer here. Finally the schools are open again while the pool is unfortunately closed. Like last year we took the trip to the Michigan State Fair (with mom here behind the wheel!) And had our hillbilly urge satisfied for another year. Where else will you find sheep butts in a row? Or hear the yell of "cow coming through"? Or eat fried twinkies and pet donkeys? 

Ligesom sidste år var højdepunktet klart “pig race”. Ham bone (ham med kasketten), Hamma Montana, Britney Spareribs, og Taylor Not So Swift havde alle taget turen til Michigan igen I år. Præcis samme grise, samme setup og præcis lige så underholdende som sidste år: https://youtu.be/-Peiyy7VGuQ

Just like last year the highlight was the "pig race". Ham bone (the guy with the cap), Hamma Montana, Britney Spareribs and Taylor Not So Swift had all made the trip to Michigan again this year. Exactly the same pigs, the same setup, and just as enjoyable as last year:https://youtu.be/-Peiyy7VGuQ

Der var rigtig mange mennesker, så vi fik trods alt nok rimeligt hurtigt, men vi fandt en lille bod med papir marmorering, hvor Luca og Teresa brugte ½ time sammenlagt I dyb koncentration og med flot resultat: https://youtu.be/QHDxkeXZx14

There were a lot of people, so we had enough after  a short while, but we found a small booth with paper marbling> Luca and Teresa spent ½ hours total in deep concentration and with excellent results: https://youtu.be/QHDxkeXZx14

Skolestart er gået over al forventning denne gang. Altså pånær at Kristian og jeg var så MEGA pinlige at vi formastede os til at møde op begge to inklusive hund for at hente Teresa. Planen var at Teresa og jeg skulle videre hen og fejre sommerens afslutning med en PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) men det var alt for stegende varmt til den slags, så det må vente lidt endnu. Jeg savler ved tanken om PSL hvert eneste år – den ser jo så lækker ud og dufter fantastisk. Og hver gang kan jeg knap klemme en halv een ned, før jeg er mega forkvalmet og ikke orker at tænke på den igen, før et helt år senere. Suk.

Back to school has gone beyond all expectations this time. Besides Kristian and I being so MEGA embarrassing that both of us showed up, including the dog, to get Teresa. The plan was that Teresa and I should head towards Starbucks and celebrate summer's end with a PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte) but it was too hot for that, so it will have to wait some more. I drool at the thought of a PSL every year - it looks so delicious and smells awesome. And every time, I can barely squeeze one half one down before I am super nauseated and cannot bother to think about it until a year later. Sigh.

Luca har fået en sød lærer igen, og selv Ulrik lader til at overleve uden for meget bøvl. Men den aller aller bedste overraskelse har været at man på Teresas skole har åbnet svømmehallen igen, så man kan gå til……. synkronsvømning! Det er Teresas hedeste drøm at gå til og det meste af sommeren har hun tilbragt med hovedet nedad og benene opad I vores pool.  Og, hvis jeg skal være helt ærlig, så er det een af de få sportsgrene jeg ikke kan få nok af at kigge på, så jeg glæder mig osse.

Luca is happy with his teacher again this year, and even Ulrik seems to survive without too much trouble. But the very very best surprise has been that Teresa's school has opened the swimming pool again, so you can participate in ....... synchronized swimming! It is one of Teresa's fondest dreams to do and most of the summer she has spent in our pool with her head down and legs up. And to be honest, it's one of the few sports I can watch over and over, so I am quite pleased, too.

Det er rigtig godt at være I gang igen. Især fordi Kristian har fået sin arbejdstilladelse og har fået et job hos Ford nærmest dumpende ned I hovedet via linkedin. Det kommer til at blive lidt af en mundfuld at være I gang begge to fuld tid, men vi kommer begge to til at have super fleksible arbejdstider og det er I den grad tiltrængt at få mere end een indtægt ind på kontoen hver måned. Det betyder jo så også at nogen her skal træne bilkørsel ret så ihærdigt. Der ligger ny-indkøbte kegler på sofaen og venter til parallel parkerings træning I morgen, og vække uret kommer til at ringe tidligt søndag morgen, hvor vi skal klemme min første motorvejs kørsel ind………. Det går faktisk ret godt, men jeg er mentalt ved at dø hver gang, jeg sætter mig bag rattet, og det må altså gerne snart gå over. Ja, det må så! Heldigvis er Kristian super tålmodig, men jeg kan utrolig godt relatere til det her alligevel:http://livefralolland.dk/2015/09/06/hvordan-jeg-havde-det-da-jeg-havde-faaet-koerekort/

It's really nice to be going at full speed again. Especially because Kristian got his work permit and on top of this has landed a job offer with Ford via linkedin. It's going to be quite a mouthful to be working full time both of us, but we will both have super flexible working hours and it is more than needed to get one more income into the bank account each month. It also means that yours truly has too practice her driving quite intensively. There are some newly purchased traffic cones on the couch waiting for parallel parking practice tomorrow, and the alarm clock is set for early Sunday morning where we need to squeeze in my first freeway driving .......... It goes OK so far, but I'm mentally dying every time I get behind the wheel, and I really wish that would pass soon. Seriously! Fortunately, Kristian is super patient :-)

Changes

Tiden går og det er over et år siden vi sad helt skeløjede at jetlag I fugtig lummervarme med alt for mange kufferter på togstationen og ventede på en taxa, der aldrig kom (I bagklogskabens ubamhjertigt hårde og klare lys, er det måske ikke den største overraskelse at taxa chaufførerne ikke vælger at hænge ud ved stationen, når der kun kommer tog 3 gange I døgnet……). Og sikken et år. Når jeg tænker tilbage forstår jeg simpelthen ikke at vi orkede og jeg er ret så taknemmelig for at tiden IKKE kan spoles baglæns. Vi har ændret os på mange punkter siden vi kom – både på den alvorlige, pinlige og sjove måde.

-         - Der er mange ting, vi ikke længere tager for givet, og det har givet os en langt større taknemmelighed for de helt simple ting som mad på bordet, raske børn og et sted at bo.

-         - Den største forandring dog MÅ være vores genbrugs entusiasme. Jeg har altid hadet genbrug aldeles indædt for jeg skulle I hvert fald aldrig, som I aldrig nogen sinde, fornedre mig til at slæbe andre folks aflagte bras ind I mit hjem. Punktum! Men “nød lærer nøgen kvinde at spinde” og vi har nu et hjem, der stort set ikke er andet end genbrug og andres møbler. Min yndlings tøj butik er blevet Platos Closet lige oppe på den anden side af vejen, hvor en stor del af min garderobe efterhånden kommer fra – og ja, det er genbrugs tøj. Vi har en “genbrugshund” og vi har endda startet en lille samling af guldrandede genbrugstallerkener med kirker på, som vi trawler genbrugsbutikkerne igennem efter. De er lidt svære at finde, men ikke mere end at det kan lade sig gøre ca hver 5. gang vi leder. Prøv lige at see hvor fine de er:

Time is passing by and it's more than a year since we arrived in Ann Arbor completely cross-eyed from jetlag and in the damp sweltering heat with way too many suitcases at the train station waiting for a taxi that never came (In retrospect, it may not have been the biggest surprise as the taxi drivers obviously  do not choose to hang out at a station where only 3 times arrive in a day ......). And what a year. When I think back, I still cannot quite grasp how we survived I'm more than grateful that time canNOT be rewound. We have changed in so many ways since we arrived - in serious, painful as well as funny ways.

-          - There are many things we no longer take for granted, and it has given us a much greater appreciation for the simple things like food on the table, healthy children and a place to stay.

-         - The biggest change, however, MUST be our enthusiasm for second hand stuff. I always hated it quite fiercely, as I would never, like in never ever, fall so deep as to haul other people's discarded junk into in my home. NEVER! But necessity has it ways and I now live happily in a home that basically contains nothing more than recycled things and other people's furniture. My favorite clothing store is now Platos Closet right on the other side of the street, where a large part of my wardrobe originates from - and yes, it's second hand clothing. We have a "recycled dog" and we have even started a small collection of second dinner plates with churches and gold edges, which we usually go hunting for in second hand stores. They are a little hard to find, but no harder than having luck about every fifth time.  Check out how nice they look:

-         - Teresa er blevet uber sports tosse.  Alt, vi ser hende I, er sports t shirts, shorts og joggingbukser. Hun står gladeligt op kl 6:30 lørdag morgen, for at køre med Kristian til park run I Livonia, hun plager om at komme med op I fitnessrummet og så ser hun sit snit til liiiiiige at klemme lidt armbøjninger ind ved køledisken I supermarkedet. Suk.

-         - Vi er begyndt at synes at camouflage tøj da egentlig er OK pænt, vi dækker bord med mason jars, ser Duck Dynasty  og vi kommer måske også til (men bare en gang I mellem) at sætte radiostationen over på Country musik. Hvad skal det ikke ende med? 

-         - Luca forbinder bål med s’mores og ikke med snobrød. Sidst han blev udsat for snobrøds dej kiggede han skeptisk ned I skålen og spurgte efter “hand sanitizer”. 

-         - Sidst men ikke mindst så glæder vi os mega meget til Michigan state fair og vi skal klart sørge for at at holde os opdateret på grise væddeløbet. Måske er Mrs Britney Spareribs og Taylor Not So Swift med igen I år. LOL

-         - Teresa has become an uber sports freak. Everything we see her wearing is sports shirts, shorts and/or jogging pants. She gets up happily at 6:30 am on Saturday mornings to go with her Dad to park run in Livonia, she begs to go to the fitness room, and when she sees her chance she squeeze in some push-ups in the grocery store. Sigh.

- We have started to think that camouflage clothing actually is OK nice, we set the table with mason jars, we watch Duck Dynasty, and every once in  while we turn the radio station to Country Music! What is wrong with us?

- Luca associates bonfires with s'mores and not with a stickbread. The last time he was exposed to the bread dough he looked skeptically into the bowl and asked for "hand sanitizer".

- Last but not least, we are really looking forward to the Michigan State Fair this year and we HAVE to make sure not to miss out on the on pig race. Maybe Mrs. Britney Spareribs and Taylor Not So Swift will join it again this year. LOL

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Dog days of summer

Just chillin'

Og så alligevel ikke. Talemåden referer til de aller varmeste lumre sommerdage, og lige nu har vi det stik modsatte med grå skyer og kolde dage. Men hunden har vi og den er ved at falde godt på plads her I familien. Fx har den allerede luret at selvom Luca måske ikke har det største hundetække, så kan man altid tigge sig til en ekstra godbid hos lige præcis ham, Bailey har også ret godt styr på hvor de andre hunde bor her I området, og så er han han helt tosset med at køre bil. Faktisk galoperer han ud I bilen og smækker sig på (knap så) elegant vis lige op I midten af Ulrik og Luca og sidder med et udtryk I øjnene a la: “sikken vi hygger os” mens de stakkels drenge knokler med at få spændt sikkerhedsselerne, der er mast helt sammen under hunden.

Yet maybe not. The saying refers to the hottest of sultry summer days, and right now we have the exact opposite with gray clouds and cold days. But the dog we do have and it is becoming part of the family. For instance, it has already figured put that although Luca may not have the best dog skills, he is always good for an extra treat 24/7, Bailey also keeps pretty good track of where the dogs live in this area, and he just loooooves car rides. Actually he gallops out to the car and slams his body right in between Ulrik and Luca and sits with an expression in his eyes a la: "oh how we enjoy ourselves" while the poor boys work hard to get their seatbelts buckled as they are completely buried under the dog.

Hey lady. What's up with this stupid blogging! I'm bored

Vi har også lært at hos dyrelægen er ost på dåse et godt trick til at holde den del af hunden, der ikke skal have et termometer stukket ind, travlt beskæftiget. Samt at een af medarbejderne I den lokale dyrehandel har en hund, der en gang hed Lilly. Men en dag fik den sneget sig ned I svigermors kælder I et uopmærksomt øjeblik og bed hovedet af alle hendes dyrt indkøbte julefigurer. Nu hedder den Lilly-Dammit…….! Hø hø.

We also learned from the vet’s office that canned cheese is a good trick to keep that part of the dog busy, that is not required for thermometer use. And that one of the employees in the local pet store has a dog who was once called Lilly. But one day it sneaked into the mom in laws basement and bit the heads of all her newly purchased christmas decor. Now she is known as Lilly-Dammit .......!

Sommerferien synger på sidste vers langt om længe. Selv Luca er begyndt at indrømme at han måske faktisk savner skolen en lillebitte smule, men det når nok at fordampe inden første skoledag. Jeg glæder mig ærlig talt til at få noget hverdag op at køre igen – meget gerne sådan een af slagsen, hvor Kristian også går på arbejde. Hans arbejdstilladelse skulle være lige på trapperne, så vi må affinde os med at vente lidt endnu. Suk. 

The summer holiday is finally almost over. Even Luca has started to admit that he might actually miss school a tiny bit, but probably not more than it will evaporate VERY fast on the first day of school. To be honest I am really looking forward to some regular scheduled days – that kind where Kristian also gets to go to work. His work permit should be just around the corner, so we are still waiting for just a little bit longer. Sigh.

Introducing Bailey

Nå men vi lovede jo ungerne en hund hvis vi fik green card, men ikke før vi havde været i Chicago trods alt. Planen var en shelter hund, da de er en del billigere både i penge og i tid tilbragt med at tørre hvalpetis op...... Vi snydekiggede lidt for en måneds tid siden og fandt selvfølgeligt en super nuttet ung labrador, der var adopteret af nogle andre, længe inden vi fik en chance.

Well, we promised the kids a dog if we got a green card, but not until after our Chicago trip. The plan was to adopt a shelter dog as they are cost less money as well as less time cleaning puppy pee from the floors....... We cheated a little bit and started looking a month ago. Only to come across a super cute young labrador that was long gone before we had a chance to come home and get it.

Torsdag prøvede vi lykken igen og fandt en enkelt hund, vi gik en tur med,  men den var relativt uinteresseret i os og skabte sig tosset når den mødte andre hunde. MEN der stod volunteers linet op på rad og række til at tage imod en transport sydfra, og så blev der ellers båret hvalpe ind. Og lige der smeltede vi og var rørende enige om at komme igen dagen efter, når hundene havde fået helbreds tjek og var blevet frigivet.

Thursday we went once more and found one dog to take walking, but he was relatively uninterested in us and went crazy when he met other dogs. BUT there was a long line of volunteers lined up to receive a transport from down south and they carried in puppy after puppy. And right on the spot we melted a little bit and decided to come back the next day, when the dogs had had their health checks and were released for adoption.

Der var mega travlt fredag formiddag, men kristian havde været inde og tjekke hjemmesiden samme formiddag og der var en VILDT nuttet eet år gammel lab/ retriever mix. Han var der ikke længe, for vi nåede lige akkurat at overhale en anden familie indenom og hapse ham med hjem samme dag.

It was a busy opening morning at the shelter, but Kristian had checked online before we went and there was a super cute one year old lab/retriever mix. He was not there for long as we just managed to arrive minutes before another family and snatch him home the same day.

Han er SÅ nuttet, meget rolig og elsker at blive nusset. Hver gang vi har haft ham ude bliver han næsten ekstatisk af glæde over at være hjemme igen. Vi tror han har fået tæsk med en kæp tidligere, da han krymper sig og prøver på at gemme sig hvis han ser os samle en pind op eller hvis vi møder nogen med en stok. Han har heller ikke sagt så meget som et lille bjæf endnu. Men eftersom han er blevet temmelig meget frækkere på bare 2 dage kan det godt være at han ikke bliver ved med at være lige så stille i længden ;-)

He is SO cute and gentle and just loves to be cuddled. Every time we take him out he is almost ecstatic with joy to come back home. We think it's because he was beaten previously as he startles and ducks when we pick up a stick or if he sees someone walking with a cane. Also he has not let out a single sound yet. But he has grown significantly more bold in the past two days, so I don't think he will be able to keep quiet forever ;-)

The flying superkid, bubble tea, and how to (almost) miss a train twice

Vi er stadigt I Chicago og vi stornyder det. Man hører sjældent mere til Chicago end hvor meget de skyder på hinanden derinde, men hold op hvor er det en fed by.

Søndag var planen at tage til Lincoln Zoo – den skulle nemlig både være god OG gratis (#FerieMedFamilienFattigrøv). Der var pænt langt at gå fra togstationen, så vi testede de lokale busser og hoppede af, da vi syntes vi var tæt nok på og havnede derfor midt I en lokal Hot Dog festival, hvor man kunne købe – ta daaaah – hot dogs. Men kun hvis man først vekslede til Dog Dollars. Man kunne også blive foreviget som en pølse, men køen var faktisk ret lang, så det er desværre ikke en Frikke der her ligger lunt og godt.

We are still in Chicago and we really enjoy it. Most of what we have heard of Chicago has related to how much they shoot at each other, but it is really a cool city.
 

The plan for Sunday was to go to the Lincoln Zoo - it should be both a nice place AND free (#VacationWithoutMoney). It was quite a long walk from the train station, so we got to test the local bus system, got off when we thought we were close enough,  and ended tight in the middle in a local Hot Dog festival where you could buy - ta daaaaah - hot dogs. But only if you purchased Dog Dollars. One could also be photographed as a sausage but the queue was actually pretty long, so unfortunately it is not a Frikke nestled below:

 

Inden vi nåede til Zoo måtte jeg dog holde et løfte til Teresa. Hun har været helt vild for at prøve bubble tea, og der skulle ligge en lille biks en god gåtur nord for Lincoln Zoo, hvor man ville kunne prøve den slags. Som  bonus kom vi gennem et virkeligt hyggeligt boligkvarter med små butikker og rækkehuse, men butikken vi havde kig på var desværre lukket. Af ren og skær stædighed gik vi et stykke længere, det kunne jo være at adressen var forkert, men uden held. Heldigvis kom vi forbi en anden butik hvor de havde rigtig bubble tea – dvs te og ikke smoothie med “bubbles” i. Teresa valgte popping bubbles, der er små gel perler med flydende indre I forskellige frugt smage, og det var heldigvis en stor success:

Before we reached the zoo, however, I had to keep a promise to Teresa. She has been very excited to sample bubble tea, and there should be a small place for that a good walk north of Lincoln Zoo. As a bonus we walked through a really nice residential area with small shops and houses. Yet the store did not exist anymore, but as Teresa is really persistent we kept walking. Fortunately, we passed another store where they did have bubble tea – and actually it was tea and not just smoothies with "bubbles". Teresa chose the popping kind of bubbles which is small gel beads with liquid inside In various fruit flavors, and luckily it was a great success :

Zoo var også en success. Primært pga gorilla ungerne. Der var et par stykker der var I seriøst fjollehumør og drejede rundt om sig selv og slog på ruderne lige foran alle børne næserne, inden de jagtede hinanden rundt med munden fuld af hø. Gorilla mor så pænt smadret ud og prøvede at finde et sted at få en lur I fred og ro, men det var ikke ligefrem let.

  

Zoo was also a success. Primarily due to gorilla toddlers. There were a few that were seriously fooling around and started spinning and beat on the windows right in front of the children, then they chased each other around with their mouths full of dry grass. The poor gorilla Mum was very tired and tried to find a place to get a nap in peace and quiet, but it was not exactly easy.

Da det var søndag gik der kun tog tilbage hver anden time, og det så ud til at trække op til regn. Vi besluttede derfor at prøve at nå det tidlige tog, men vi gik lige akkurat glip af en bus, og var nødt til at vente på den næste, der sneglede sig gennem The Magnificent Mile så langsomt at vi godt kunne droppe at nå til stationen I tide. I stedet blev vi og spiste lækker  aftensmad lige midt I det hele udenfor med udsigt The Trump tower på den ene side og togene gennem gaderne på den anden side. Åh hvor har jeg savnet storby stemming på den måde. Det var simpelthen så hyggeligt og vores mad var forsinket på den gode måde, hvor man bare kan sidde og slappe af I sine trætte ben. Knap så spændende var det at opdage hvor langt, der egentlig stadigt var ned til stationen 20 minutter før det næste tog kørte……. Men vi nåede det lige akkurat. 

Since it was Sunday there was only a train gong back every two hours, and it since it started to get rainy we decided to test to try and catch an early train, but we just missed the bus, and had to wait for the next one. It turned out to be really slow and seemed to inch ever so slowly through The Magnificent Mile that we fairly early on realized that we were not going to make it to the station in time. Instead we got off and had delicious dinner right in the middle of Chicago overlooking The Trump tower on the one side and the trains in the streets on the other side. Oh how I've missed that big city feeling. It was such a nice dinner and our food was late in a good way, where you get to just sit and relax the tired legs. It was less nice to discover how far, we had to walk to get to the station in only 20 minutes ....... But we made it.

dinner with a view

I dag (mandag) har det været tid til indfrielsen af Teresas fødselsdags gave – indoor skydiving. Nørj hvor har hun glædet sig. Selve flyvetiden er eet minut ad gangen men hertil skal lægges instruktionstid og påklædning mm. Her er hun I gang og hun var een af de seje – ja hun var så. Se selv bevis her:  http://youtu.be/pbQ7Ld-Db9U

Today (Monday),the time had come to redeem Teresa's birthday gift - indoor skydiving. Oh my was she excited? The flight time was only 2x one minute but on top of this came instructions and clothing etc. Here she is http://youtu.be/pbQ7Ld-Db9U– and she was one of the cool kids. Just saying…

 

Eftermiddagen blev tilbragt I et lille japansk shopping center med et supermarked, en food court, en boghandel og en DVD butik. Slet ikke I nærheden af Japantown I San Francisco, men maden var simpelthen så lækker og vi åd til vi nærmest ikke kunne rokke med ørerne.  Bagefter gik vi amok I supermarkedet og købte stort ind af madpakke dims (inklusiv en bog om bentobokse med opskrifter på engelsk) så jeg tror godt jeg kan forudsige at aftenen inden første skoledag kommer til at foregå I køkkenet for Teresa og mig :-)

The afternoon was spent in a small Japanese shopping center with a supermarket, a food court, a bookstore, and a DVD store. Not anywhere close to the size of Japantown in San Francisco, but the food was absolutely delicious and we ate until we were way beyond stuffed. Afterwards we went shopping in the supermarket and bought large quantities of lunch box stuff (including a book on bentoboxes with recipes in English) so I think Teresa and I will be busy the night before first day of school :-)

#MidwesternSummer when driving back to the appartment

Japanese lunch stuff