Archive for December, 2004

Came home this morning, after spending two nights at my friend K’s house. I had a good time, nice to have time for talking until early morning )

My computer had enough of me and decided to shut down several times so I gave up making a post this morning. Now I’m sitting at my office trying to prepare the services this weekend, one tonight at 11 pm, one tomorrow at 4 pm and one on Sunday at 11 am. In different ways they all shall touch the tragedy in South East Asia, mostly the one tonight, but also the others. The Norwegian government has decided that tomorrow, 1 th of January, shall be our national day for grief for the many who died and are missing. (Probably are there several hundred Norwegian killed, and it is the largest number in several decades for our country.) I read one place that also Sweden will have a day of grief tomorrow, there may be as many as thousand people killed from Sweden.
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One good thing in my life today: I manage to post nearly all my document concerning my adoption. It means they probably will reach Ethiopia in the middle or late January. The only thing left are a recommendation from my friend B, but that I guess will be sent after shortly.

Tonight I’m going to visit some friends I haven’t seen in quite a while – that shall be nice. I really look forward to it!!

This has been a busy Christmas, so a day off tomorrow is much cherished. All the more fun is to spend it with friends )

Today I have had a funeral in the church closest to where I live, I also has spent some hours at my office. Trying to prepare the year to come, and reading up on the tsunami disaster (see more below!)

One really good news is that the church finally has got it’s own room for work related to children, youth and teenagers. It is not always the church is the best place to meet and usually the office is too small. Now it seem like a dream came through: WE HAVE A PLACE TO STAY!! I’m so glad and hope that everything works out in the end (finances….) When January comes we’ll start decorating and making the room functional and beautiful => Hope many will join in the process!

This afternoon I finally got an email from our church council with prayers and other stuff to use in the services this weekend. I’m going three places (one each day) – and we will at least pray and pay for and to those affected in southeast Asia and for Norwegian who lost loved one.

Found a link to The South-East Asia Earthquake and Tsunami here is a lot to read about the disaster. Go visit! The link I found at In a minute ago – the blog. Go visit her as well!

Then I leave with a silent prayer for all affected by the tsunami on Christmas day.

God bless!
anne berit

Join me and light your candle for those who have been hurt or have lost loved one in the South-East Asia tsunami on Christmas day. The deaths are rising. By tonight it is nearly 60000, and the number is still rising. Probably will also a lot of people die because of health issues because of the disaster. I light my lights and say a prayer! My only remaining hope and comfort is that God is there in the midst of all the chaos and suffer. That do matter! Even though the grief is impossible to imagine for me sitting here safe in Norway.  

On Christmas day a tsunami came over the beaches in South East Asia because of a earthquake. This morning the news reported that maybe as many as 70000 people died. I’ve been trying to grasp the number, but have come short. It’s so many, and each death has a family in grief behind. Many of the deaths are tourist on vacation in this beautiful place on earth. But most of them are inhabitants of the area. By now 28000 deaths are reported. Even in Somalia, far away from the earthquake there are deaths because of it.

The only thing I can do is pray!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hope that you got a gift which warmed your heart – I know I did (many). Here in Norway the opening of gifts are on Christmas eve, we just can’t wait…. ) I spent the evening alone and got plenty of time to enjoy each gift and did send warm thoughts to everyone who had given me gift this year – I feel so rich with family and friends who care!!

Soon I’m off to dinner with my neighbour, I look forward to it )
But first I will spend just some more minute here.
At Leslie’s place: Crayons, Playdoh & Wax I found this:

You Are “Silent Night”

Silent night, holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin, Mother and Child Holy infant so tender and mild Sleep in heavenly peace You never forget that Christmas is about the birth of Christ. Santa and eggnog are just gravy

Finally I got home. The snow has been and is coming down big time, sometimes it has been difficult to drive; it is so good to be home! Soon I’m going to make dinner as we usually had in my childhood. Rib from pork, brown sauce and sourcrout. I love it. At last for this one time a year. Tradition is a good thing I think, usually. So after the dinner there will be time for opening gifts and just enjoy myself and my Christmas-house ;o) There will probably also be some phone calls to my family in the eastern part of Norway – and maybe a little run her on the www.

This post is mostly to whish you all a:

Finally the 24 th door can be opened!
I am up and are soon going out of my home not to return for many hours. At 12 am I take the ferry over to the other side and then there is a drive for an hour to get to the church where the first service are held. Then I’m driving back again, stopping on my way home for a service in the other church I’m pastor for on the south side.

It usually are a lot of people in church, it is a good day and the singing reach heights like no time else in the year. This year I’ll be accompanied with some youths; some shall sing, some shall light candles during prayer. I’m looking forward to it and are a little stressed – are the sermon ready, do I have the plan for the service secured, what about the snow – can we drive as fast as we should do??

Yea! It’s snow here, come last night. It’s beautiful. But I don’t want to drive on these roads with the “I-must-drive-fast-enough-so-I-reach-the-ferry-back-home” hanging over my shoulder. (It is not the very last trip, but there are an hour to wait!)

Well, in some way or another it will turn out just fine – I know that! But still….

Have a wonderful day! Merry Christmas and God’s peace to mankind!

Love
anne berit =>

And are now proudly standing in my living room.
For a moment yesterday i thought this would be another year without a tree, but then my friend B and her husband helped me out – THANKS YOU GUY’S!!

Now I have placed the lights and are soon going to hang up the rest of the stuff. Then I will decorate the rest of the house. I am not sure if I will get finished tonight – but are going to try. This morning I slept way to long, and would not have woken in time for my meeting, if it was not for B’s call ) – I still fell that I’m not quite awake, and are heading for bed early. Or else the day tomorrow will get as bad start as this one did!

Then it is back to the light (and tomorrows dinner which I prepare tonight, and just heat up tomorrow…) and the Christmas decorating! Hope you have a good time!

Love =>
anne berit

Bunny Burrow showed me the way to this one:

I have no word! =>

Today my mom is celebrating her 59th birthday (rather she did it on Saturday with my family). Last year I flew home to celebrate with the rest of the crowd, but this year I’ll have to wait until I can take a trip home in February or something.

Next year we’ll have a real party – hopefully then I will be home celebrating Christmas with my family for the first time in five year, with my little daughter or son (- I love the very thought of that!) For those who don’t know – next year I’ll adopt a child from Ethiopia =>

Back to mom:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!
I love you! )

At last my house is starting to feel clean. It is a good feeling!!! Tonight I’ve washed all the floors in all rooms and the bathrooms – now there only are a little left in the kitchen before I can say I’m finished ) I hate (well: almost!) cleaning house – so guess how relieved I am now!

Tomorrow I will start decoration like I traditionally do, I like to wait until the last day before Christmas eve. Until then there are the color of Advent in my house; but come tomorrow I will put up a hole lot of Christmas thingy. I love decorating the house – and even though it is just me here most of the time it gives me a good feeling, and when see it I know that these days are different and holiday (no matter how much I work..)!!!

But first I shall met a family who just lost a loved one and prepare a funeral. Then I’m leaving for town for the last shopping and a short visit to my friend B and her family -> and to get my Christmas tree (the one they had here was too expensive!!)

Yesterday was a day with a lot of different things to do, from early morning to late night.

First we had a staff meeting at the office. A kind of getting together and see if we have everything under control and whishing everyone a Merry Christmas (well, most of us are going to work the entire holyday, but anyway it was a nice meeting! The meeting was scheduled at 9 am, but was put of to 10 am because of an organist who needed a little bit more sleep – and I didn’t mind! J The extra hour I used to send (almost) every Christmas card and gifts in the mail. (A huge weight of my shoulder….!)

Then there was some time for doing some office work, and making sure everything would run smoothly….. At 2 pm I went home, and got the last gift in the mail. Then I got home and tried to prepare my self for the interview. Once again I had said yes, and once again I had regrets. But I had my self to thank – so I put on a smile and greeted the man from the radio and showed him in to my living room. To be honest it was a nice chat, and when he left I wasn’t too scared. But still; a little uneasy with telling everyone. (I told someone though!)

Then I left for a friend. She had invited me along with some other friends for a making-Christmas-candy-evening. And believe you me we were sweet when returned home! A really nice evening it was. I loved it and hope we can make it a tradition! Thanks Bea for opening your home for us crazy women!

The drive home was a scary one. All the snow was melting and rain was pouring down on us making the roads almost impossible to manoeuvre in. But at last I got home in one pice

Then my bed was calling, way tired to write any on my blog I’m sorry to say!
But now I’ve done it!

God bless you all!

Love
anne berit

Still working on my card and presents (which I’m already late with!) So this is just a little post…. A while ago I lost my self in this “game” at typegenerator.net. I think this one looks nice, maybe I’ll turn it in to a banner?? Time will show – but now: back to the cards for me ) 

This is my “getting everything finished and sent away with the postman day”!! A lot of writing is due to get finished in time, I still have many card to write and then there is the calendars for those two whom I am aunt to. I am making a calendar with evening prayers on, a new one for each month followed with pictures taken over the last two years. I hope that they will like it )

Have a nice day!
c”,)

The picture is not from this year, I don’t have a digital camera you see!! But it gives you an idea. But please add snowflakes!!! I so happy for all the snow we’ve gotten in the last 24 hours. I love snow, even though it is more difficult to drive and it takes longer; I don’t mind.

Today me and my organist had service at a retirement-home (or what to call it??) Usually we are there every 3rd week, and have a small devotion together. But every now and then we have a service and, like today, we also have communion. It is a nice way for those who can’t go to church anymore to partisipate in the selebration of Christmas. In a little hour we are going to have one more service in another village.

See you later!

P.S: my 4th light are lit, soon there will be Christmas =>