We had our 20 week ultrasound this morning at 9:30am...The drama, however, started well before then...I was so restless last night...I woke up at 1:30am and just couldn't go back to sleep until about 4:00am...I think that I was just so anxious about the ultrasound that I couldn't sleep. Sy had to go and pick up one of his teammates, Tyler Dunnaway, from the airport this morning. He left the house at 5:00am so that he could be at the airport by 6:30 (It's an hour and a half drive to the airport from our house)...I wanted to go with him, but he wanted me to stay behind in case something happened...He wanted to be sure that I would make it to the doctor because we have had so much drama with all of our appt thus far since we have been in Iceland...Sy called me at 8:30am to tell me that he has picked up Tyler; our car had broken down in Reykjavik (30 minutes from our house); and Siggi was on his way to see about them...My first response was "You have got to be kidding me!"...No, he wasn't kidding...So I get up out of bed and start to get dressed because I realize that I have 30 minutes to get ready before I need to start making my way to the hospital...
Now, it would take any normal person about 15 minutes to walk to the hospital from our house, but I am not normal when it comes to being in a hurry...I am probably one of the slowest people you would ever want to meet and the fact that I am pregnant does not make matters any better...so I knew that it would probably take me 25-30minutes to walk to the hospital...I started on my way at about 9:00am...
As I am walking I see an ambulance coming my way and I was soooooooo close to flagging him down and asking him to take me the rest of the way BUT I didn't...Saevar calls to tell me that our car has to be towed; Siggi is letting us borrow his work truck; and that he is on his way!!! He also asks me to stall the ultrasound tech as long as I can...At that point I realize that the paperwork that we need for the ultrasound is in our broken down car...Thankfully Sy remembers it!!!
I get to the hospital just in time sweating like a pig...The technician calls me back into the room...I explain the situation and asks if there is anyway that we can postpone the appt a little so that we can wait for Sy, who at this point is about 10 minutes away...She kindly explains that she is booked all day and that she can't wait, but that we could re-schedule the appt for next week...I kindly DECLINED that suggestion- we had already been postponed a week (our appt was originally on the 23rd of Dec)...She said that the appt would last at least 30 minutes so Sy would be there in time for the majority the session...and she was right!!! When Sy got there (papersork and all) he hadn't missed hardly anything!!!! Praise the Lord!!!!
The ultrasound was wonderful...She measured the baby's head and femur, which showed that we are actually 21 weeks and some days instead of 20 weeks...My due date was moved from 14 May to 11 May...We saw all 10 fingers, 4 chambers of the heart, the kidneys, eyes, nose, two little lips, the stomach, two little legs, and last but not least the female anatomy!!!!!!
Honestly, me and Sy thought we were having a boy, but we could not be happier!!!!
The funny thing is that we went to a birthday party this past weekend with bunch of Sy's friends that he grew up with- ironically, all of his closest friends growing up were girls...Anyways, four of the girls that he grew up with are pregnant- all with girls!!!
Happy New Year everyone!!!!! It will definitely be a new year for the Sigurmundsson's...Life, as we now know it, will NEVER be the same!!!!!
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Some Christmas Pics
Clearing all the snow off the car
Siggi, Sirry and Einar with the Christmas Tree we found in the woods
Mr and Mrs Good Looking
Merry Christmas!!
Friday, December 26, 2008
Sy's Email
The following is an email that Sy sent out to our friends and family from our church back home, The Light, a few days before Christmas...I am posting it for two reasons: 1) It gives a good update on what's been going on with us, as well as the economic conditions here in Iceland and 2) Not everyone that reads this blog is on our church email distribution list...
Merry Christmas everyone. I have been meaning to send an email for a while, but better late than never. Just wanted to let everyone know that Dasha and I are doing very well in Iceland. I know some of you have been keeping up with us on our blog that Dasha does such a good job of updating. I have been extremely busy with basketball and work and I am really excited about a little Christmas break. Our team hasn't done as well as I would like, but we are getting better. We are 3-7 in the league, but we have lost some very close games that we could have won. I am hoping we can pick it up in the new year and get on a winning track.
The baby is doing really good. We had a doctors appointment this week and we got to hear the heartbeat and everything seems good. We go for the the 20 week ultrasound on the 30th of December and then we will get to know if we are having a boy or a girl. We had decided not to find out, but then Dasha changed her mind so we are really excited to find out what we are having.
We have found a really nice church here in Selfoss where we live. It is a small church and it really reminds me of the Light. I got to share my testimony last Sunday and it went really well. Dasha has been getting more and more involved in the community and she is really starting to enjoy Iceland more. We have also had several opportunities to share with my teammates and we are praying that God will bless them and draw them to Him.
We will be spending Christmas with my family in the capital city. It is only 30 minutes from our home and we are going to stay with them for 4-5 days and just hang out.
I know many of you have probably heard about the economic crisis here in Iceland. The country pretty much went bankrupt and many people are really hurting. I know it is going on all over the world, but we were the first country to go down. My mom lost her job, but she will continue to get paid for a few more months, which is such a blessing because there are no jobs available here. God has also really blessed my dad because he had just gotten a pretty big project that will last until this summer. They are saying that things will get really bad in about 2 months since most people that have been laid off the last couple of months will be receiving their last paycheck then. Who knows what will happen, we just keep praying.
Dasha got her residence card which was a lot easier process than what I had to go through in the states. The only problem we have right now is that we are not in the health system. We didn't know this, but it takes us 6 months to get into the system to receive free health care. So we have to pay for all our doctors visits, which is not bad since prices here are not nearly as bad as in the USA. It was just bad timing due to the pregnancy and we have to see the doctor every month. Dasha and I should be in the health care system in early April, which is just in time before we have our baby in mid-May. We are thankful for that because it could have been really expensive to have the baby without being in the system.
Well I don't want to write to long and bore you guys. We really hope all of you are doing great and that you have a blessed Christmas.
Here is all our contact information. We actually have a US number you can call anytime. It is a local call for you guys we would love to hear from you.
Phone (local): 256-513-6575
Sy Email: saevar@inbox.com
Dasha Email: ladashat@yahoo.com
Skype: sysigur, dasha sigurmundsson
We also use facebook
Merry Christmas everyone. I have been meaning to send an email for a while, but better late than never. Just wanted to let everyone know that Dasha and I are doing very well in Iceland. I know some of you have been keeping up with us on our blog that Dasha does such a good job of updating. I have been extremely busy with basketball and work and I am really excited about a little Christmas break. Our team hasn't done as well as I would like, but we are getting better. We are 3-7 in the league, but we have lost some very close games that we could have won. I am hoping we can pick it up in the new year and get on a winning track.
The baby is doing really good. We had a doctors appointment this week and we got to hear the heartbeat and everything seems good. We go for the the 20 week ultrasound on the 30th of December and then we will get to know if we are having a boy or a girl. We had decided not to find out, but then Dasha changed her mind so we are really excited to find out what we are having.
We have found a really nice church here in Selfoss where we live. It is a small church and it really reminds me of the Light. I got to share my testimony last Sunday and it went really well. Dasha has been getting more and more involved in the community and she is really starting to enjoy Iceland more. We have also had several opportunities to share with my teammates and we are praying that God will bless them and draw them to Him.
We will be spending Christmas with my family in the capital city. It is only 30 minutes from our home and we are going to stay with them for 4-5 days and just hang out.
I know many of you have probably heard about the economic crisis here in Iceland. The country pretty much went bankrupt and many people are really hurting. I know it is going on all over the world, but we were the first country to go down. My mom lost her job, but she will continue to get paid for a few more months, which is such a blessing because there are no jobs available here. God has also really blessed my dad because he had just gotten a pretty big project that will last until this summer. They are saying that things will get really bad in about 2 months since most people that have been laid off the last couple of months will be receiving their last paycheck then. Who knows what will happen, we just keep praying.
Dasha got her residence card which was a lot easier process than what I had to go through in the states. The only problem we have right now is that we are not in the health system. We didn't know this, but it takes us 6 months to get into the system to receive free health care. So we have to pay for all our doctors visits, which is not bad since prices here are not nearly as bad as in the USA. It was just bad timing due to the pregnancy and we have to see the doctor every month. Dasha and I should be in the health care system in early April, which is just in time before we have our baby in mid-May. We are thankful for that because it could have been really expensive to have the baby without being in the system.
Well I don't want to write to long and bore you guys. We really hope all of you are doing great and that you have a blessed Christmas.
Here is all our contact information. We actually have a US number you can call anytime. It is a local call for you guys we would love to hear from you.
Phone (local): 256-513-6575
Sy Email: saevar@inbox.com
Dasha Email: ladashat@yahoo.com
Skype: sysigur, dasha sigurmundsson
We also use facebook
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Catch Up...
Several things have happened over the last two weeks...I won't mention them all, but I will try to hit the highlights...Me and Sy somehow end up in Reykjavik almost every weekend...The weekend before last we went to a Christmas Buffet dinner with Sy's parents and another couple....This wasn't a typical buffet...It was at this fancy resturant and we had all this fancy food...Everything was wonderful and the food was delicious...After dinner we walked around downtown and went to several places that had live music...We ended up meeting a guy from France that was in town for the weekendat a place called Cafe Rosenburg...He was actually a violinist and he played with the band that was performing at the resturant that evening...He had never played with the band before, but you wouldn't have known it because he was great! AND his french accent was da bomb! Later on that night I met a guy from Maryland who was visiting Iceland for the first time...He just went to his travel agent and said I want to go somewhere I have never been and she suggested Iceland...He got a really good deal because the dollar is so good here right now...We had a nice little talk...He was an mechanical engineer who built night vision system for the army...We had alot in common with my missile defense background...
Me and Sy have been going to a little church here in Selfoss called Hvitasunnukirkjan...don't ask he what that means...Anyways, we really like it...It reminds of so much of The Light...Its a small community and they have pastors, but they have different speakers come in regularly to share the Word...The pastors of the church are Aaron and Gunna...They are a sweet couple about mine and Sy's age...They invited me and Sy to dinner this week to get to know us better...It was really nice...We talked about 3.5 hours during and after dinner...They told that the church has approx 7 small groups that meet every other Weds night for bible study and they invited us to join them...So, this weds night will be our first bible study!!!! We are really excited because we have been wanting and needing some accountability...Praise the Lord for helping to get us plugged in...The church put together a market to help raise money for needy children...People all over Selfoss have been donating items that they don't want anymore and we are selling the items at reduced prices...This effort has gotten a wonderful response from the community...Poeple have been very thankful because with the econmic crisis many have little money for Christmas presents so the market has given them the opportunity to shop for the presents...I have been volunteering at the market this week and I have really enjoyed it...It has given me an opportunity to meet and fellowship with people in the community and with people in the church.
A very exciting thing happened this past weekend...We bought my ticket to come home in February!!!!!!! YYEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! I will be home Feb 13-March 2...I will fly from Iceland to NY and then me and my Momma will both fly from NY to Nashville together...My ticket from Iceland to NY was only $350!!! So anyone planning to come and visit us anytime in the next decade should really checkout flights right now...the are pretty reasonable...Now, the kicker, as always, was getting the flight from NY to home which also costs us about $350...All in all, it was pretty reasonable...
We are having a baby shower for my sister on Feb 15 in Florence and I am really excited about seeing all the fam...It will be great!
Oh, me and Sy have decided to find out the sex of the baby!!! I was really sold on NOT knowing, but now since I'm coming home I want to be able to shop for the baby...Plus I want to be as prepared as possible...So I really had my heart set on finding out next week (my sonar appt was the 23rd of December); however the sonar office called today to re-schedule my appt to the 30th of December...Uuuuggghhhhh...So now we have to wait another week...In the meantime the belly is getting bigger!!!!
The basketball team has been having weekly pool meetings...So we have been going to the pool at night in the freezing snow...Its been awesome!!!!...Americans really don't understand swimming in the winter, but its the best...Iceland has heated pools...They are more like hot tubs really, but you really haven't lived until you've been in a heated pool with 3 feet of snow all around you!!!!
By the way its snowing over here like crazy...I love it and I am dying to have a snowball fight!!!!
Me and Sy have been going to a little church here in Selfoss called Hvitasunnukirkjan...don't ask he what that means...Anyways, we really like it...It reminds of so much of The Light...Its a small community and they have pastors, but they have different speakers come in regularly to share the Word...The pastors of the church are Aaron and Gunna...They are a sweet couple about mine and Sy's age...They invited me and Sy to dinner this week to get to know us better...It was really nice...We talked about 3.5 hours during and after dinner...They told that the church has approx 7 small groups that meet every other Weds night for bible study and they invited us to join them...So, this weds night will be our first bible study!!!! We are really excited because we have been wanting and needing some accountability...Praise the Lord for helping to get us plugged in...The church put together a market to help raise money for needy children...People all over Selfoss have been donating items that they don't want anymore and we are selling the items at reduced prices...This effort has gotten a wonderful response from the community...Poeple have been very thankful because with the econmic crisis many have little money for Christmas presents so the market has given them the opportunity to shop for the presents...I have been volunteering at the market this week and I have really enjoyed it...It has given me an opportunity to meet and fellowship with people in the community and with people in the church.
A very exciting thing happened this past weekend...We bought my ticket to come home in February!!!!!!! YYEEEAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!! I will be home Feb 13-March 2...I will fly from Iceland to NY and then me and my Momma will both fly from NY to Nashville together...My ticket from Iceland to NY was only $350!!! So anyone planning to come and visit us anytime in the next decade should really checkout flights right now...the are pretty reasonable...Now, the kicker, as always, was getting the flight from NY to home which also costs us about $350...All in all, it was pretty reasonable...
We are having a baby shower for my sister on Feb 15 in Florence and I am really excited about seeing all the fam...It will be great!
Oh, me and Sy have decided to find out the sex of the baby!!! I was really sold on NOT knowing, but now since I'm coming home I want to be able to shop for the baby...Plus I want to be as prepared as possible...So I really had my heart set on finding out next week (my sonar appt was the 23rd of December); however the sonar office called today to re-schedule my appt to the 30th of December...Uuuuggghhhhh...So now we have to wait another week...In the meantime the belly is getting bigger!!!!
The basketball team has been having weekly pool meetings...So we have been going to the pool at night in the freezing snow...Its been awesome!!!!...Americans really don't understand swimming in the winter, but its the best...Iceland has heated pools...They are more like hot tubs really, but you really haven't lived until you've been in a heated pool with 3 feet of snow all around you!!!!
By the way its snowing over here like crazy...I love it and I am dying to have a snowball fight!!!!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Thanksgiving in Iceland...
Me, Sy and Tyler (one of Sy's American teammates) traveled to Reykjavik on Friday, November 28 to have Thanksgiving dinner with Sy's family. I cooked chicken-n-dressing, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, and homemade chocolate cookies-yummy! Now I had never made dressing or sweet potato casserole or homemade chocolate chip cookies before. I found the dressing and the casserole recipes online...The sweet potato casserole recipe that I found is the one that Ruth's Chris uses so I figured that it should be pretty good and it was...The dressing recipe that I used I also found online and it turned out pretty good as well...The chocolate cookie recipe I got from Nat-Nat and it was great...I made the cookie dough on Thursday night and I wanted to test it out so I made half the batch...I made 2 cookie sheets full and they were so delicious that I sat there and ate about 10 cookies that night!!! Needless to say, my stomach hurt immensely afterwards...
One very important last minute detail that I forgot in the mist of all my preparation was the cranberry sauce...We had a little bit of trouble finding it...I don't know it you're like me, but I HAVE to have cranberry sauce with my dressing! We went to about three grocery stores before we found some...
We arrived at Elsa and Siggi's house at about 7:30pm Friday night and Elsa of course had the place decked out with candlelight and her best china on the dining room table...Siggi had spent the past five hours slowly cooking the biggest Thanksgiving turkey I had ever seen!!!! It was huge...Elsa and Siggi had also prepared salad, carmelized new potatoes, fruit salad, and the BEST mushroom gravy sauce ever! We had so much food!!!!
We before we got started eating Sy asked me to tell the story of how Thanksgiving was started in America...Thankfully, I had listened to a sermon earlier in the week by Dr. David Jeremiah on being grateful. In his sermon he described the first Thanksgiving in America...He talked about the Pilgrims coming from England to the "New Land" seeking religious freedom. Because I had heard this sermon I knew exactly what to say. I mentioned how Thanksgiving, back then, lasted three days but today we only celebrate it for one day...Siggi cut in "We only celebrate it for one day, but we cooked enough food for three days!" It was hilarious! and he was right...We had cooked enough food for three days and then some....
After that we all went around the table and told why we were thankful...It was a wonderful Thanksgiving! After we all stuffed ourselves can anyone imagine what happened next???...
We all got SLEEPY...Yep, it was a great Thanksgiving...
One very important last minute detail that I forgot in the mist of all my preparation was the cranberry sauce...We had a little bit of trouble finding it...I don't know it you're like me, but I HAVE to have cranberry sauce with my dressing! We went to about three grocery stores before we found some...
We arrived at Elsa and Siggi's house at about 7:30pm Friday night and Elsa of course had the place decked out with candlelight and her best china on the dining room table...Siggi had spent the past five hours slowly cooking the biggest Thanksgiving turkey I had ever seen!!!! It was huge...Elsa and Siggi had also prepared salad, carmelized new potatoes, fruit salad, and the BEST mushroom gravy sauce ever! We had so much food!!!!
We before we got started eating Sy asked me to tell the story of how Thanksgiving was started in America...Thankfully, I had listened to a sermon earlier in the week by Dr. David Jeremiah on being grateful. In his sermon he described the first Thanksgiving in America...He talked about the Pilgrims coming from England to the "New Land" seeking religious freedom. Because I had heard this sermon I knew exactly what to say. I mentioned how Thanksgiving, back then, lasted three days but today we only celebrate it for one day...Siggi cut in "We only celebrate it for one day, but we cooked enough food for three days!" It was hilarious! and he was right...We had cooked enough food for three days and then some....
After that we all went around the table and told why we were thankful...It was a wonderful Thanksgiving! After we all stuffed ourselves can anyone imagine what happened next???...
We all got SLEEPY...Yep, it was a great Thanksgiving...
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
The Baby Bump...
Ok I am finally getting around to posting some pics of my little baby bump...I am sorry this has taken so long...I tried to get some good ones this weekend, but I am afraid that they didn't turn out that great...
I have been feeling fine lately...My nausea has decreased significantly, however its not completely gone yet...I have been having some stomach pains every now and then...I checked my 'What to Expect When Your Expecting" book and it said that it's pretty normal and that it's probably my uterus expanding...Going to the bathroom is becoming ever more frequent, which is also pretty normal...All in all I feeling pretty good...So far, I have gained 10 pounds!!! We will be 16 weeks this Thursday!!!! I can't believe I am already 4 months- that's crazy! I talked to my sister, Tamara, this morning who is also expecting...She is about seven months! I am so excited to see my little neice- Khloe Shaylin!!!!! Everyone please pray for both me and my sister as we continue on this awesome journey of child birth.
I have been feeling fine lately...My nausea has decreased significantly, however its not completely gone yet...I have been having some stomach pains every now and then...I checked my 'What to Expect When Your Expecting" book and it said that it's pretty normal and that it's probably my uterus expanding...Going to the bathroom is becoming ever more frequent, which is also pretty normal...All in all I feeling pretty good...So far, I have gained 10 pounds!!! We will be 16 weeks this Thursday!!!! I can't believe I am already 4 months- that's crazy! I talked to my sister, Tamara, this morning who is also expecting...She is about seven months! I am so excited to see my little neice- Khloe Shaylin!!!!! Everyone please pray for both me and my sister as we continue on this awesome journey of child birth.
Monday, November 24, 2008
Sightseeing in Iceland...
Sy took me and the two Americans ( Tom and Tyler) that play for FSU sightseeing this past Saturday. We went to see the Geysir and the Gullfoss waterfall. Then we drove through one of the national parks in Iceland. We were excited to get out and see some of the beatuiful sights in Iceland. We were not, however, excited about the weather conditions: cold and rainy. All in all we had a great time.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Thanks, etc...
I just wanted to say 'Thanks' to everyone who emailed us today to tell us that Al Rocker from the Today Show was in Iceland! Ya'll are hilarious! Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to meet him. We need a little more notice people...
FSU is currently 3-5...We can't seem to win on the road which is killing us...Fortunately, the next three games are at home! The next game is Thursday night- Go FSU!!!! There's a bug going around the team right now...Sy had is share of it and is doing much better, although he did lose some of his conditioning while he was out that week. Yesterday, four of the players missed practice due to illness. I hope that this bug passes soon and that the team can remain healthly for the rest of the season.
Elsa (Sy's mom), Siggi (Sy's dad), Saedis (Sy's middle sister), Siddy (Sy's baby sister), and Einar (Sy's nephew) came to visit us the past weekend. The team was off on saturday so they came to visit for the day...I love when they come to visit...We had lunch and dinner together...I made chicken-n-dumplings for dinner...They had never had them before and they enjoyed them for the most part...We cleaned out the big pot i made, that's for sure! They bought me this cool abstract painting that i have been wanting to hang over our black leather couch...I love it and it looks sweet!
I have been cooking alot and trying new recipes! Tonight I made pineapple teriyaki salmon...It was some recipe I found off the internet...I will not lie- it was the BOMB! We will definitely be having that one again!
The baby is doing fine...I will be 15 weeks on Thursday! The morning sickness is slowly disappearing...YYYEEEAAAHHHH!!!!
FSU is currently 3-5...We can't seem to win on the road which is killing us...Fortunately, the next three games are at home! The next game is Thursday night- Go FSU!!!! There's a bug going around the team right now...Sy had is share of it and is doing much better, although he did lose some of his conditioning while he was out that week. Yesterday, four of the players missed practice due to illness. I hope that this bug passes soon and that the team can remain healthly for the rest of the season.
Elsa (Sy's mom), Siggi (Sy's dad), Saedis (Sy's middle sister), Siddy (Sy's baby sister), and Einar (Sy's nephew) came to visit us the past weekend. The team was off on saturday so they came to visit for the day...I love when they come to visit...We had lunch and dinner together...I made chicken-n-dumplings for dinner...They had never had them before and they enjoyed them for the most part...We cleaned out the big pot i made, that's for sure! They bought me this cool abstract painting that i have been wanting to hang over our black leather couch...I love it and it looks sweet!
I have been cooking alot and trying new recipes! Tonight I made pineapple teriyaki salmon...It was some recipe I found off the internet...I will not lie- it was the BOMB! We will definitely be having that one again!
The baby is doing fine...I will be 15 weeks on Thursday! The morning sickness is slowly disappearing...YYYEEEAAAHHHH!!!!
Friday, November 14, 2008
Our First Doctor's Appointment...
We had our first doctor's appointment here in Iceland on Wedsnesday morning. My nurse/midwifes name is Kristin. She is in her 50's I would say. She was really nice and she could talk English pretty good. I felt comfortable around her and she looked like she had delivered a few babies in her day. She will be my midwife throughout my pregnancy, unless for some reason I all of a sudden start not liking her for some reason. If that happens I can request a new midwife. Now things are obvilously done differently here in Iceland than in America, as far as having babies are concerned. From what I have gathered so far, Kristin will be with me throughtout the pregnancy and she will also come to my home after the baby is born and will assist me with anything that I need (i.e. help with breast feeding)...She will also come and check the baby's weight, vitals, etc to make sure that everything is okay.
We filled out some paper work and she checked my height and weight. I took a urine test which came back normal. I didn't take a blood test because I had already taken one in America. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and she said that is was STRONG!!!! We were thankful! It is such a neat feeling hearing your baby's heartbeat...No matter what kind of mood you're in you will ALWAYS smile whenever you hear it...
After that, she wanted to feel my uterus she so started gently pressing down on my stomach with her hands...she kept telling me to relax...she said something to Sy in Icelandic and Sy explained that I was an athlete and that I played basketball...Appartently she could feel my stomach muscles which made me feel great! I was, of course thinking, there are still muscles in there...By the way, my stomach is getting bigger by the day! I have got to post some pics soon...I promise I will...
After the feeling of the uterus I had some questions:
My first question was will I ever see a doctor during this process (No offense to her as a nurse/midwife, but in America we see doctors)?
Her response: No...not unless something goes wrong...She said that a very high percentage of pregnancies are normal. If everything is normal then there is no need for a doctor, but if something does go wrong then they call him and he will be there in a flash.
My second question was, of course, about an epidural. Do you have them? Can I get one? What's the deal?
Her response (as she smiled at me with this look like you naive American women): Yes they have them, but they don't like to give them to women unless extenuating circumstances take place (i.e. the women is in labor for a long time, etc). They like to use other methods to help the women through the pain like acupuncture. They perfer the let the women's natural endorphins kick in and assist in the birth process. She said that my body was made for this and that nature will take its course and provide me with everything I need to delivery our baby. She also told me that women that had received an epidural with their first baby did not want it for their subsequent children.
I will admit it was a good sales pitch, but I must have not looked completely convinced because at the end of her spill she told me that we would talk about it again on our next visit. I am sure that if I insist she will give me one, but right now I am seriously considering going 'Oh Nat-u-ral'.
All in all I think the visit went very well. My next visit is December 12 and I will have an ultrasound visit on December 23!!!! I can't wait to see my little peanut again...Oh, I guess it will be a peach or a grapefruit this time!!!!
Oh and me and Sy are seriously leaning toward NOT finding out the sex of the baby...I know everyone in America will be really excited about that decision! Finding out the sex of the baby is not near as common a practice here as it is in America. I think that we want to be truly surprised AND I think that not knowing will help me, especially if I am going to spit this baby out naturally!!!! That will motivate me to get the little stinker out becasue we will be sooooooo excited to see what it is!
Well that's all folks. Talk to you again soon...
We filled out some paper work and she checked my height and weight. I took a urine test which came back normal. I didn't take a blood test because I had already taken one in America. We listened to the baby's heartbeat and she said that is was STRONG!!!! We were thankful! It is such a neat feeling hearing your baby's heartbeat...No matter what kind of mood you're in you will ALWAYS smile whenever you hear it...
After that, she wanted to feel my uterus she so started gently pressing down on my stomach with her hands...she kept telling me to relax...she said something to Sy in Icelandic and Sy explained that I was an athlete and that I played basketball...Appartently she could feel my stomach muscles which made me feel great! I was, of course thinking, there are still muscles in there...By the way, my stomach is getting bigger by the day! I have got to post some pics soon...I promise I will...
After the feeling of the uterus I had some questions:
My first question was will I ever see a doctor during this process (No offense to her as a nurse/midwife, but in America we see doctors)?
Her response: No...not unless something goes wrong...She said that a very high percentage of pregnancies are normal. If everything is normal then there is no need for a doctor, but if something does go wrong then they call him and he will be there in a flash.
My second question was, of course, about an epidural. Do you have them? Can I get one? What's the deal?
Her response (as she smiled at me with this look like you naive American women): Yes they have them, but they don't like to give them to women unless extenuating circumstances take place (i.e. the women is in labor for a long time, etc). They like to use other methods to help the women through the pain like acupuncture. They perfer the let the women's natural endorphins kick in and assist in the birth process. She said that my body was made for this and that nature will take its course and provide me with everything I need to delivery our baby. She also told me that women that had received an epidural with their first baby did not want it for their subsequent children.
I will admit it was a good sales pitch, but I must have not looked completely convinced because at the end of her spill she told me that we would talk about it again on our next visit. I am sure that if I insist she will give me one, but right now I am seriously considering going 'Oh Nat-u-ral'.
All in all I think the visit went very well. My next visit is December 12 and I will have an ultrasound visit on December 23!!!! I can't wait to see my little peanut again...Oh, I guess it will be a peach or a grapefruit this time!!!!
Oh and me and Sy are seriously leaning toward NOT finding out the sex of the baby...I know everyone in America will be really excited about that decision! Finding out the sex of the baby is not near as common a practice here as it is in America. I think that we want to be truly surprised AND I think that not knowing will help me, especially if I am going to spit this baby out naturally!!!! That will motivate me to get the little stinker out becasue we will be sooooooo excited to see what it is!
Well that's all folks. Talk to you again soon...
Monday, November 10, 2008
Differences: America vs Iceland
I have been here for about a month now and I am, all the time, logging in my mind the differences that I notice between America and Iceland. The culture here in Iceland is obvisouly very different from what I am so use to growing up in Alabama. I wanted to share some of the things that I have noticed so far with you...I am sure that this will be "Part 1" of this blog entry because I think that as I spend more time here that more and more things will become apparent.
Well, mine and Sy's life has changed so much since our move here, especially for me. I went from being and full-time working wife in America to a "stay-at-home-soon-to-be-mom" in Iceland. One of duties as a stay at home mom is, of course, grocery shopping. Upon going to the grocery store, I noticed right away how small all of the portion sizes were. All juices and milks, for the most part, come in 1 liter containers...I am use to buying gallon size containers in America! I noticed that about so many of their products...especially meat, juice, and milk...Also, all of the refrigerators in most of the peoples homes, including my own, that I have seen are a lot smaller than fridges in America...I would say about half the size, which probably explains why the food portions are smaller... Some people here use their baloncies as fridges of freezers, if you will...In the winter its cold enough to keep drinks in a cooler on the balcony, which is what some do, who don't have enough space in the fridge...
The discipline of children here is different than what I am accustomed to. I have noticed that no one spanks their children. I heard rumors when I got here that it was against the law to spank your child!!! My first thought after hearing that was that the Sigurmundsson's may be back in Alabama sooner that we thought!!! That is yet to be confirmed though...I asked Sy about it and he said that he does not think that it's a law, but that it's more of a cultural thing. I feel that parents here try to reason with their children more than they discipline them. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out when a child is using a disrespectful tone, no matter what language is being spoken. All I can say is that the Sigurmundsson's will not be sparing the rod, nor will we tolerate disrespectful children.
I have noticed that Iceland has probably some of the best dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc) and the best water in the world. No one in Iceland buys bottled water...their water is great!!! It get's really HOT and really COLD. I have had to be very careful washing dishes bc I have most gotten 2nd degree burns!...I love taking long hot showers and I love it here bc the hot water NEVER runs out!!!
The gas here is RIDICULOUS!!! $8 per gallon!!! Yep that's right $8!....I here that gas in America is 2.00+ right now...Count your blessing! It costs us approx $95 to fill up our little VW passat wagon...I asked Sy why the drop in oil prices (currently ~$60+ per barrel) didn't affect Iceland like it did America...He said that its bc Iceland buys the oil in dollars and the dollar is VERY low here right now so the drop in oil prices doesn't do anything for Iceland. Gas, unfortunately, isn't the only thing that's expensive right now...Since the economic crisis hit over here everything has gone up really, including food.
Although Iceland has a state religion, which is Lutheran, most Icelanders only go to church for the christening of a child, Christmas, Ester, a wedding, or a funeral. If you ask, most Icelanders will say that they believe in God, but very few are living for God.
One of the most fascinating things that I have noticed about the Icleandic culture is how they "put their babies out" to nap. It is VERY common that mothers here wrap up their infants, they put them in these carraiges (it looks kinda like a bassinet with wheels...it zips all the way up so that nothing can get into the carraige with the child), and they put them outside on their balconies or right outside their back door, and they let the babies nap. The wind gently rocks them to sleep and everyone I have talked to here says that the babies LOVE it...They say that babies will sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours...I can't tell you how many Icelanders have asked me if I am going to "put our baby out"...I know that so many Americans are against it and I wouldn't dream of doing something like that in America, BUT if I can get my baby to take a 3-5 hour nap each day I am DEFINITELY going to consider it!!! I spoke with my mom about it and she thinks that it good for the baby and she a nurse so I trust her...
I have learned that most girls here start getting into boys and having sex at around age 14. Upon talking to some of Sy's teammates I learned that the girls are very "forward", if you will, about having "relations". That breaks my heart- they are obliviously searching for something...I also learned, from talking with the boys, that most parents don't talk to their kids about sex or the dangers of pre-marital sex. Also, most couples here live together and have a child together long before they get married, IF they even get married. I guess this one really isn't a difference between Iceland and America, it's probably more of a similarity. The shocking thing is that, according to my hubby, only about 20-40 people in Iceland have HIV, out of 300,000! I did some research and actually there about 220 people in Iceland living with the HIV virus.
Ok that's all for now...Stay tuned for Part 2...
Well, mine and Sy's life has changed so much since our move here, especially for me. I went from being and full-time working wife in America to a "stay-at-home-soon-to-be-mom" in Iceland. One of duties as a stay at home mom is, of course, grocery shopping. Upon going to the grocery store, I noticed right away how small all of the portion sizes were. All juices and milks, for the most part, come in 1 liter containers...I am use to buying gallon size containers in America! I noticed that about so many of their products...especially meat, juice, and milk...Also, all of the refrigerators in most of the peoples homes, including my own, that I have seen are a lot smaller than fridges in America...I would say about half the size, which probably explains why the food portions are smaller... Some people here use their baloncies as fridges of freezers, if you will...In the winter its cold enough to keep drinks in a cooler on the balcony, which is what some do, who don't have enough space in the fridge...
The discipline of children here is different than what I am accustomed to. I have noticed that no one spanks their children. I heard rumors when I got here that it was against the law to spank your child!!! My first thought after hearing that was that the Sigurmundsson's may be back in Alabama sooner that we thought!!! That is yet to be confirmed though...I asked Sy about it and he said that he does not think that it's a law, but that it's more of a cultural thing. I feel that parents here try to reason with their children more than they discipline them. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out when a child is using a disrespectful tone, no matter what language is being spoken. All I can say is that the Sigurmundsson's will not be sparing the rod, nor will we tolerate disrespectful children.
I have noticed that Iceland has probably some of the best dairy products (milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, etc) and the best water in the world. No one in Iceland buys bottled water...their water is great!!! It get's really HOT and really COLD. I have had to be very careful washing dishes bc I have most gotten 2nd degree burns!...I love taking long hot showers and I love it here bc the hot water NEVER runs out!!!
The gas here is RIDICULOUS!!! $8 per gallon!!! Yep that's right $8!....I here that gas in America is 2.00+ right now...Count your blessing! It costs us approx $95 to fill up our little VW passat wagon...I asked Sy why the drop in oil prices (currently ~$60+ per barrel) didn't affect Iceland like it did America...He said that its bc Iceland buys the oil in dollars and the dollar is VERY low here right now so the drop in oil prices doesn't do anything for Iceland. Gas, unfortunately, isn't the only thing that's expensive right now...Since the economic crisis hit over here everything has gone up really, including food.
Although Iceland has a state religion, which is Lutheran, most Icelanders only go to church for the christening of a child, Christmas, Ester, a wedding, or a funeral. If you ask, most Icelanders will say that they believe in God, but very few are living for God.
One of the most fascinating things that I have noticed about the Icleandic culture is how they "put their babies out" to nap. It is VERY common that mothers here wrap up their infants, they put them in these carraiges (it looks kinda like a bassinet with wheels...it zips all the way up so that nothing can get into the carraige with the child), and they put them outside on their balconies or right outside their back door, and they let the babies nap. The wind gently rocks them to sleep and everyone I have talked to here says that the babies LOVE it...They say that babies will sleep anywhere from 3-5 hours...I can't tell you how many Icelanders have asked me if I am going to "put our baby out"...I know that so many Americans are against it and I wouldn't dream of doing something like that in America, BUT if I can get my baby to take a 3-5 hour nap each day I am DEFINITELY going to consider it!!! I spoke with my mom about it and she thinks that it good for the baby and she a nurse so I trust her...
I have learned that most girls here start getting into boys and having sex at around age 14. Upon talking to some of Sy's teammates I learned that the girls are very "forward", if you will, about having "relations". That breaks my heart- they are obliviously searching for something...I also learned, from talking with the boys, that most parents don't talk to their kids about sex or the dangers of pre-marital sex. Also, most couples here live together and have a child together long before they get married, IF they even get married. I guess this one really isn't a difference between Iceland and America, it's probably more of a similarity. The shocking thing is that, according to my hubby, only about 20-40 people in Iceland have HIV, out of 300,000! I did some research and actually there about 220 people in Iceland living with the HIV virus.
Ok that's all for now...Stay tuned for Part 2...
Friday, November 7, 2008
Jesus Women...
Before we left for Iceland Bjarni told us about a little church here in Selfoss that we should visit. Last friday I was talking to Bjarni on Skype and we went to the church's website and found out that a group of ladies from that church meet the first saturday of every month from 10am-12pm for food and fellowship. This group of ladies calls themselves "JesuKonur" or "Jesus Women". I think that Bjarni could tell that I was feeling a little depressed or something that day so he encouraged me to go. By the end of the conversation I decided that I would attend the meeting.
The next day I got up and got dresses for the meeting. I could tell that Sy was happy that I was trying to get involved and meet some new people. I got there about 10 minutes late because I got lost, of course. In my defense, the little church was kindof hidden, if you will, behind a grocery store. When I got there about 3 ladies greeted me with smiling faces at the door. There were about 13 ladies there. There was also food and drinks, but I wasn't hungry...After a few minutes a lady, I assumed the worship leader, got up in front of the group and began to lead the ladies in song. All of the songs were in Icelandic, however I did recognize soem of the melodies. They sung about 5 songs. After the singing one of the ladies that had greeted me at the door came over to me and asked me if I would like her to translate for me. I was thrilled! Of course I wanted a translator! One of the ladies from the the group got up and shared what the Lord had been teaching her lately. She spoke about what it means to fear the Lord. She talked about that word 'fear' and how she has learned that it doesn't neccessarily mean to be afraid of God, but more so to revere Him or reverence Him. She also tied her message about fear in with obedience and love. She said that when she was young child she used to obey her parents out for fear of not being loved. That struck a cord with me...And I wondered how many times I have done the same thing...I am sure many times...But then I thought, isn't it wonderful that we have a Savior that loves us unconditioinally...no matter what we do or don't do...Romans says that nothing can seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
I was so happy that I went to the Jesus Women meeting that day...I left really encouraged! I also met several new friends: a lady named Michelle who is orginally from the Phillipines. She moved to Iceland 2 years ago with her husband and son. She goes to FSU for training in Icelandic and she offered to get together with me so that we could practice our Icelandic skills together. I also met another lady who just found out that she and her husband are expecting their second child. She is actually the pastor's wife. Appartently, they have a 5 year old daughter already, but had trouble getting pregnant again. They have been having fertility assistance and just found out that the procedure worked and that they were pregnant!
The next day I got up and got dresses for the meeting. I could tell that Sy was happy that I was trying to get involved and meet some new people. I got there about 10 minutes late because I got lost, of course. In my defense, the little church was kindof hidden, if you will, behind a grocery store. When I got there about 3 ladies greeted me with smiling faces at the door. There were about 13 ladies there. There was also food and drinks, but I wasn't hungry...After a few minutes a lady, I assumed the worship leader, got up in front of the group and began to lead the ladies in song. All of the songs were in Icelandic, however I did recognize soem of the melodies. They sung about 5 songs. After the singing one of the ladies that had greeted me at the door came over to me and asked me if I would like her to translate for me. I was thrilled! Of course I wanted a translator! One of the ladies from the the group got up and shared what the Lord had been teaching her lately. She spoke about what it means to fear the Lord. She talked about that word 'fear' and how she has learned that it doesn't neccessarily mean to be afraid of God, but more so to revere Him or reverence Him. She also tied her message about fear in with obedience and love. She said that when she was young child she used to obey her parents out for fear of not being loved. That struck a cord with me...And I wondered how many times I have done the same thing...I am sure many times...But then I thought, isn't it wonderful that we have a Savior that loves us unconditioinally...no matter what we do or don't do...Romans says that nothing can seperate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen!
I was so happy that I went to the Jesus Women meeting that day...I left really encouraged! I also met several new friends: a lady named Michelle who is orginally from the Phillipines. She moved to Iceland 2 years ago with her husband and son. She goes to FSU for training in Icelandic and she offered to get together with me so that we could practice our Icelandic skills together. I also met another lady who just found out that she and her husband are expecting their second child. She is actually the pastor's wife. Appartently, they have a 5 year old daughter already, but had trouble getting pregnant again. They have been having fertility assistance and just found out that the procedure worked and that they were pregnant!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Under the weather...
Saevar has been sick since Sunday night...We don't know exactly what it is- it may be the flu...He is experiencing fever, loss of appetite, loss of energy, sore throat, body aches, etc...it's been awful...FSU had a game monday night against probably the best team in the league...We lost 125-91...Sy was really sick but he played anyway which, we think, made him worse...Sooooooo, we have been in the house for four days now and I am about to go postal!!!! No really, its been fine...FSU has a game tonight (Thursday, November 6) and Sy is going to sit this one out...Hopefully, we are on the tail end of this thing.
On a more positive note, the Sigurmundsson's would like to congratulate the Van Zoren and Waite family's on the arrival baby Arden and baby Brody! We are so excited for guys!
On a more positive note, the Sigurmundsson's would like to congratulate the Van Zoren and Waite family's on the arrival baby Arden and baby Brody! We are so excited for guys!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
It's been a while...
Well its been over a week since my last post and a lot has happened since then. FSU is 2-1. There last home game was last Thursday and they killed the team that they played...
Last Friday night we went Reykjavik and stayed with Sy's parents for the weekend. Sy's uncle, Halli, had a 40th birthday party Saturday night and the entire family was there. It was good to see everyone and a lot of his extended family found out that we were expecting a baby that night. Everyone was excited about the news. We came home sunday afternoon because Sy had practice that night. The team had a video meeting from 4:30pm-5:30pm and then they practiced from 5:30pm-9:00pm!! I was wondering why no one could tell me what time practice would be over. Iceland does not have the athletic rules/laws that we have in the states. In the states, collegiate athletes practice 2 hours at most.
Monday I spent the day with Aya, Bjarni's mom! She lives about 7 minutes from us. Aya made me curtains for my living room and kitchen and they are beautiful...I love them! She is amazing! She can sew anything! She is so sweet and I really enjoyed spending the day with her. Later on that afternoon she taught me how to make lamb soup. Lamb soup, also called meat soup, is very popular in Iceland especially around Christmas time. Lamb soup is the first real Icelandic dish that I have learned how to make. Speaking of Icelandic food- I ate horse a few weeks ago!!!!!!!!!! I didn't know what it was...We sat down to eat lunch at Sy's parents house and there were two kinds of meat on the table- one was chicken and the other looked like beef, or so I thought. Sy put a peice of the meat on his plate and I tried a bite of his...I thought to myself, this beef taste funny...and so I proceeded to eat my chicken. Later on in the meal, Sy asked me if i liked it. I said "no" and he kindof laughed. I asked what it was and he was like "horse"! After I found out that it was horse and that it wasn't supposed to taste like beef I had another bite and it actually tasted better.
We finally made our first doctor's appointment this week. My first appt will be November 12!!!! I have been feeling fine expect the usually morning sickness or should I say "all day sickness". We also found out this week that the medical insurance that we bought to cover us until we got into the Icelandic socialist medical system does not cover our pregnancy. That basically means we will have to pay out of pocket for all of our pregnancy medical care for the next 6 months (it takes six months for us to get into the system). We went to check on the costs of everything yesterday and thankfully, its not too bad. It will costs us about $150-$200 per visit. An ultrasound, which I will get at 18 weeks, will cost about $150, as well. We will get into the medical system around the first of May so the birth of the baby will be covered- Thank you Jesus!!!!
We also checked on getting me into school so that I can start learning Icelandic. Unfortunately all the classes are full until January ) : So i will have to wait until then to get into a class.
We have had a carpenter at our house for the past 4 days fixing the wall that was damaged during the earthquake. His name is Brynjar and he is a very sweet man. When I first met him I didn't think that he knew how to speak english; however, one morning he was at the apartment working and I was at home by myself (Sy had already left for work)...All of a sudden he says ´Good Morning!´...and that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as they say. I sat at my kitchen table and talked to him for about 2 hours that morning...I was so thrilled that he knew english...Not only did he know english, but he also knew norweigen (I know that i didn´t spell that right, anyway the language that people from Norway speak)...The reason that I bring that up is because the new washer/dryer that me and Sy bought was not in english...I assumed that it was icelandic, however when Sy started to assemble them he realized that he didn´t know what language it was in either...of course i´m thinking ´GREAT´...Sy explained that the operator manual that comes with appliances, etc usually comes in icelandic, english, etc...but for some reason our washer/dryer didn´t...I explained the situation to Brynjar that morning and he offered to take a look at it...As it turns out Brynjar, his wife, and his three children lived in Norway for five years and he was fluent in Norweigen!!!!...so he translated my washer and dryer for me that day!!!! Talk about a divine appointment!!!
Brynjar finished fixing our apt wall yesterday!!!! So i finally got to uncover my new sofa and red leather chairs and basically put my living room together! I think it looks pretty good so far...I still need a picture to go over my sofa, a coffee table, a rug, and a few decorative items...The curtains that Aya made for me look great....
Today is Thursday and I am at Elsa and Siggi´s house...Sy has a game tonight...They play some team that´s about 5 hours away so the team had to fly to the game tonight...it was about a 40 minute flight...I hope that they play well...FSU is getting a new player tomorrow...I can´t remember his name but he is actually from the Huntsville area...He is a 6´9 guard...The team is really excited about him coming...He was playing for a team in Italy and now is coming to FSU!
Saturday one of Sy´s uncles is getting married so we will travel back to Reykjavik for the wedding. It should be fun-more time with the fam!
Sunday night I am having my first dinner party!!! I invited three of Sy´s teammates over for dinner...I am not quite sure what I am going to cook yet but i know it will be good because i can get down in the kitchen!!!!!! I also want to try to check out this church that Bjarni told me and Sy about in Selfoss on Sunday...I haven´t been to church since I left Huntsville so I am ready for a little fellowship...FSU will be having 2 a day practices starting saturday to try to bring their new player up to speed, so I don´t know if Sy will be able to come...I may just go by myself...I am learning my way around selfoss pretty good now...
FSU plays again on Monday night so ya´ll keep the team in your prayers...Also, so many people have been asking us about our faith...Brynjar the painter, Sy´s teammates, etc...I really want to start a bible study and Sy does too, but Sy has a lot on his plate already with work and b-ball...those are both important things BUT we have got to also be about Kingdom Business if you know what I mean, SO you guys please pray about us making time to share about the Lord...Also pray about what the Lord would have us to share with these people.
Well, that´s about it for now...Later!
PS...I am 12 weeks today!!! The first trimester is OVER (let´s pray that the morning sickness is too!)...
Last Friday night we went Reykjavik and stayed with Sy's parents for the weekend. Sy's uncle, Halli, had a 40th birthday party Saturday night and the entire family was there. It was good to see everyone and a lot of his extended family found out that we were expecting a baby that night. Everyone was excited about the news. We came home sunday afternoon because Sy had practice that night. The team had a video meeting from 4:30pm-5:30pm and then they practiced from 5:30pm-9:00pm!! I was wondering why no one could tell me what time practice would be over. Iceland does not have the athletic rules/laws that we have in the states. In the states, collegiate athletes practice 2 hours at most.
Monday I spent the day with Aya, Bjarni's mom! She lives about 7 minutes from us. Aya made me curtains for my living room and kitchen and they are beautiful...I love them! She is amazing! She can sew anything! She is so sweet and I really enjoyed spending the day with her. Later on that afternoon she taught me how to make lamb soup. Lamb soup, also called meat soup, is very popular in Iceland especially around Christmas time. Lamb soup is the first real Icelandic dish that I have learned how to make. Speaking of Icelandic food- I ate horse a few weeks ago!!!!!!!!!! I didn't know what it was...We sat down to eat lunch at Sy's parents house and there were two kinds of meat on the table- one was chicken and the other looked like beef, or so I thought. Sy put a peice of the meat on his plate and I tried a bite of his...I thought to myself, this beef taste funny...and so I proceeded to eat my chicken. Later on in the meal, Sy asked me if i liked it. I said "no" and he kindof laughed. I asked what it was and he was like "horse"! After I found out that it was horse and that it wasn't supposed to taste like beef I had another bite and it actually tasted better.
We finally made our first doctor's appointment this week. My first appt will be November 12!!!! I have been feeling fine expect the usually morning sickness or should I say "all day sickness". We also found out this week that the medical insurance that we bought to cover us until we got into the Icelandic socialist medical system does not cover our pregnancy. That basically means we will have to pay out of pocket for all of our pregnancy medical care for the next 6 months (it takes six months for us to get into the system). We went to check on the costs of everything yesterday and thankfully, its not too bad. It will costs us about $150-$200 per visit. An ultrasound, which I will get at 18 weeks, will cost about $150, as well. We will get into the medical system around the first of May so the birth of the baby will be covered- Thank you Jesus!!!!
We also checked on getting me into school so that I can start learning Icelandic. Unfortunately all the classes are full until January ) : So i will have to wait until then to get into a class.
We have had a carpenter at our house for the past 4 days fixing the wall that was damaged during the earthquake. His name is Brynjar and he is a very sweet man. When I first met him I didn't think that he knew how to speak english; however, one morning he was at the apartment working and I was at home by myself (Sy had already left for work)...All of a sudden he says ´Good Morning!´...and that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, as they say. I sat at my kitchen table and talked to him for about 2 hours that morning...I was so thrilled that he knew english...Not only did he know english, but he also knew norweigen (I know that i didn´t spell that right, anyway the language that people from Norway speak)...The reason that I bring that up is because the new washer/dryer that me and Sy bought was not in english...I assumed that it was icelandic, however when Sy started to assemble them he realized that he didn´t know what language it was in either...of course i´m thinking ´GREAT´...Sy explained that the operator manual that comes with appliances, etc usually comes in icelandic, english, etc...but for some reason our washer/dryer didn´t...I explained the situation to Brynjar that morning and he offered to take a look at it...As it turns out Brynjar, his wife, and his three children lived in Norway for five years and he was fluent in Norweigen!!!!...so he translated my washer and dryer for me that day!!!! Talk about a divine appointment!!!
Brynjar finished fixing our apt wall yesterday!!!! So i finally got to uncover my new sofa and red leather chairs and basically put my living room together! I think it looks pretty good so far...I still need a picture to go over my sofa, a coffee table, a rug, and a few decorative items...The curtains that Aya made for me look great....
Today is Thursday and I am at Elsa and Siggi´s house...Sy has a game tonight...They play some team that´s about 5 hours away so the team had to fly to the game tonight...it was about a 40 minute flight...I hope that they play well...FSU is getting a new player tomorrow...I can´t remember his name but he is actually from the Huntsville area...He is a 6´9 guard...The team is really excited about him coming...He was playing for a team in Italy and now is coming to FSU!
Saturday one of Sy´s uncles is getting married so we will travel back to Reykjavik for the wedding. It should be fun-more time with the fam!
Sunday night I am having my first dinner party!!! I invited three of Sy´s teammates over for dinner...I am not quite sure what I am going to cook yet but i know it will be good because i can get down in the kitchen!!!!!! I also want to try to check out this church that Bjarni told me and Sy about in Selfoss on Sunday...I haven´t been to church since I left Huntsville so I am ready for a little fellowship...FSU will be having 2 a day practices starting saturday to try to bring their new player up to speed, so I don´t know if Sy will be able to come...I may just go by myself...I am learning my way around selfoss pretty good now...
FSU plays again on Monday night so ya´ll keep the team in your prayers...Also, so many people have been asking us about our faith...Brynjar the painter, Sy´s teammates, etc...I really want to start a bible study and Sy does too, but Sy has a lot on his plate already with work and b-ball...those are both important things BUT we have got to also be about Kingdom Business if you know what I mean, SO you guys please pray about us making time to share about the Lord...Also pray about what the Lord would have us to share with these people.
Well, that´s about it for now...Later!
PS...I am 12 weeks today!!! The first trimester is OVER (let´s pray that the morning sickness is too!)...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Shopping in Iceland...
The past few days have been exhausting...Now those of you who know me know that I love shopping!!! This is coming from a girl, who back in my college days, once spent 6 consecutive hours in a mall- and some of my dear friends at the time might argue that it was actually 8 hours!! However, right about now 6-8 MINUTES in any store leaves me feeling tired, hungry, plagued with lower back pain, and ready to just find the nearest chair or toilet, whichevers closer. In the past few days I have been to many, many, stores with names I can´t pronounce and sales people I can´t understand and have had to choose between couches, chairs, beds, washers and dryers, curtains, pots, dishes, bedding, and anything else you might possibly have to buy when you´re starting your life over. Don´t get me wrong, under normal circumstance I would have been in hog heaven, but with the pregnancy and all, my mind is on alot more than just couches. Now, when I walk into a furniture store my first thought is 'How long has it been since my last meal?' and ' How long do I have before I am starving again?'.
Elsa and Siggi, Sy´s mom and dad, have been real troopers. They have been so supportive. They have taken us all over Reykjavik trying to find us the best deals and helping us transport our items to Selfoss, where we will be living. Selfoss is about 30 minutes from Reykjavik.
I really like our apartment. The only bad thing about it is that it doesn´t have a dish washer- So you know what that means- SAEVAR is going to become a great dish washer!!!!!!!! I think that its the perfect size for the two of us- soon to be three! It´s two bedrooms and one bath. Hopefully, we will move in it today. We have been waiting for some repairs to be completed. So of you may remember the earthquake that Iceland had a while back. Well our apartment got damaged during that earhtquake, some of the walls were cracked. Our landlord just settled with the insurance company to repair the walls and the contractor is supposed to come today to fix it.
Sy is REALLY anxious to get moved. He is having to drive to practice everyday (30 minutes one way), which is not too bad, but it would make his life so much easier if we were moved. Our apartment is a 30 second drive to the gym where FSU practices.
So, we bought a black leather sofa and 2 red leather chairs for the living room! I am so excited about those chairs! I love a little splash of RED! Anyways, we got the chairs at this store called The Peir here in Reykjavik, which is their version of Peir One!!!! I was so excited when I walked in- it felt like home! I really wanted to go contemporary with this apartment and I must say that it has been challenging- I knew that it would be...I am so used to warm tone (reds, yellows, browns, greens), so I am totally OUT of my comfort zone- but I kinda like it. Our living room colors will be black, white/off-white/cream, gray, and red. The real challenge was finding window treatments. I wanted already made curtains, but I just couldn´t find any that worked. Eventually, I can across the bomb fabric!!!! It´s great and Aya, Bjarni's mom who is a great seamstress, is going to help me make curtains!!!!! I'm really excited about the curtains and about spending time with her...
Oh, the last thing that I wanted to share is about the bed that we bought...It´s king size!!!! I am so ecstatic about it...Me and Sy have never had a king size bed and for two people as big as we are, I feel that it is almost a neccessity!! So we are in the store and we didn´t think that we would be able to afford it...the kings were substantially more than the queens and you know sy is all about the 'benjamins' sometimes...So I asked the sales guy if there were any king beds that were maybey a little damaged that he could give us a deal on...low and behold there was!!!!!!! He called the warehouse to check and be sure...He came back and gave us the price on one of the most expensive king size beds that they had (its called 'Angel Dream'!) and it the price was going to be less than that same bed in a queen size!!!! We were so happy! And the only thing that was wrong with it was that the box spring had a small cosmetic defect that could be covered with a bed skirt!!!! The Lord is good and ALL good and perfect gifts come from Him!!!!
Elsa and Siggi, Sy´s mom and dad, have been real troopers. They have been so supportive. They have taken us all over Reykjavik trying to find us the best deals and helping us transport our items to Selfoss, where we will be living. Selfoss is about 30 minutes from Reykjavik.
I really like our apartment. The only bad thing about it is that it doesn´t have a dish washer- So you know what that means- SAEVAR is going to become a great dish washer!!!!!!!! I think that its the perfect size for the two of us- soon to be three! It´s two bedrooms and one bath. Hopefully, we will move in it today. We have been waiting for some repairs to be completed. So of you may remember the earthquake that Iceland had a while back. Well our apartment got damaged during that earhtquake, some of the walls were cracked. Our landlord just settled with the insurance company to repair the walls and the contractor is supposed to come today to fix it.
Sy is REALLY anxious to get moved. He is having to drive to practice everyday (30 minutes one way), which is not too bad, but it would make his life so much easier if we were moved. Our apartment is a 30 second drive to the gym where FSU practices.
So, we bought a black leather sofa and 2 red leather chairs for the living room! I am so excited about those chairs! I love a little splash of RED! Anyways, we got the chairs at this store called The Peir here in Reykjavik, which is their version of Peir One!!!! I was so excited when I walked in- it felt like home! I really wanted to go contemporary with this apartment and I must say that it has been challenging- I knew that it would be...I am so used to warm tone (reds, yellows, browns, greens), so I am totally OUT of my comfort zone- but I kinda like it. Our living room colors will be black, white/off-white/cream, gray, and red. The real challenge was finding window treatments. I wanted already made curtains, but I just couldn´t find any that worked. Eventually, I can across the bomb fabric!!!! It´s great and Aya, Bjarni's mom who is a great seamstress, is going to help me make curtains!!!!! I'm really excited about the curtains and about spending time with her...
Oh, the last thing that I wanted to share is about the bed that we bought...It´s king size!!!! I am so ecstatic about it...Me and Sy have never had a king size bed and for two people as big as we are, I feel that it is almost a neccessity!! So we are in the store and we didn´t think that we would be able to afford it...the kings were substantially more than the queens and you know sy is all about the 'benjamins' sometimes...So I asked the sales guy if there were any king beds that were maybey a little damaged that he could give us a deal on...low and behold there was!!!!!!! He called the warehouse to check and be sure...He came back and gave us the price on one of the most expensive king size beds that they had (its called 'Angel Dream'!) and it the price was going to be less than that same bed in a queen size!!!! We were so happy! And the only thing that was wrong with it was that the box spring had a small cosmetic defect that could be covered with a bed skirt!!!! The Lord is good and ALL good and perfect gifts come from Him!!!!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Sy's First Game...
FSU (Sy's team) had their first game last night, Thursday, October 16 at 7:15pm Iceland time. It was awesome and FSU kicked butt- they won 103-78!!!!! They played a team called Njardvik, which from what I was told has a strong tradition of basketball in Iceland. This team is one of the winningest teams in the Super Division of basketball in Iceland.
The atmosphere in the gym was so intense the entire game...The Selfoss club handball team and the FSU basketball team support each others games, so the handball team was in the house last night. They dressed up and brought drums and other noise making instruments, and they had tons of cheers!!!! Every time someone from the Njardvik team had to shoot a free throw, the handball team would line up on the sideline and chant "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PRESSURE!!!!"- in Icelandic of course (someone translated it for me). It was great!
Sy had a AWESOME game!!!!! It was so awesome to see him compete!! He is such a great competitor. He ended the game with 29 points and 8 rebounds!!! He was the leading scorer for FSU and there was a sweet write up about him in the Icelandic newspaper this morning- The Morganbladid. We are all so proud of him!
Sy eventually wants to try out for the Icelandic National Team. The guy that he guarded last night is the center on the Icelandic National Team and Sy dominated, so hopefully he will have a good chance of making the team next year!
The atmosphere in the gym was so intense the entire game...The Selfoss club handball team and the FSU basketball team support each others games, so the handball team was in the house last night. They dressed up and brought drums and other noise making instruments, and they had tons of cheers!!!! Every time someone from the Njardvik team had to shoot a free throw, the handball team would line up on the sideline and chant "YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE PRESSURE!!!!"- in Icelandic of course (someone translated it for me). It was great!
Sy had a AWESOME game!!!!! It was so awesome to see him compete!! He is such a great competitor. He ended the game with 29 points and 8 rebounds!!! He was the leading scorer for FSU and there was a sweet write up about him in the Icelandic newspaper this morning- The Morganbladid. We are all so proud of him!
Sy eventually wants to try out for the Icelandic National Team. The guy that he guarded last night is the center on the Icelandic National Team and Sy dominated, so hopefully he will have a good chance of making the team next year!
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
I'm Here!!!
Well I finally made it to Iceland at about 6:00am this morning Iceland time (about 1:00am Alabama time). My flight was about 5 hours and although I thought that I would sleep the entire way, I actually watched 3 movies on the plane (Happy Feet, Rumor Has It, and 21). I got through the immigration checkpoint alright, however somehow I knew that the customs guys were going to want to check my bags...sure enough they stopped me...I guess I did look a little suspicious with 3 huge duffles bags and a small carry on suitcase...you are only allowed 2 peices of luggage on Icelandair so I had to pay extra to bring that third duffle bag...It was well worth every penny because my 3rd bag held all the cute clothes and shoes that I bought while I was in NY!...Shopping in NY is the BEST!!!! I was really careful to buy clothes that would serve pregnancy or non-pregnancy purposes...
The customs guys asked me where I was from and how long I would be staying in Iceland...When I told him that I was actually moving to Iceland his look of bewilderment followed by "REALLY!" made me laugh.
I was so happy to see Saevar waiting for me as I wheeled my bags through the gate!!! It had been a long 7 days without him...
I love coming to Iceland because the flights always arrive in the morning so the first thing that you do when you arrive is EAT BREAKFAST!!!
I was, of course, starving when I got off the plane as I knew that I would be and I had forgotten to ask Saevar to bring me a snack of some sort...However, when I got to the car he had a carton of Icelandic yogurt waiting for me (my favorite!!!!!!). I was so happy and the baby was happy too! We were starving!
Saevar drove us to his parents house in our new car...I really like it-it's a volkswagon passat wagon!!! It rides nice and it's clean and roomy...It will be perfect for the new baby!!!!
The customs guys asked me where I was from and how long I would be staying in Iceland...When I told him that I was actually moving to Iceland his look of bewilderment followed by "REALLY!" made me laugh.
I was so happy to see Saevar waiting for me as I wheeled my bags through the gate!!! It had been a long 7 days without him...
I love coming to Iceland because the flights always arrive in the morning so the first thing that you do when you arrive is EAT BREAKFAST!!!
I was, of course, starving when I got off the plane as I knew that I would be and I had forgotten to ask Saevar to bring me a snack of some sort...However, when I got to the car he had a carton of Icelandic yogurt waiting for me (my favorite!!!!!!). I was so happy and the baby was happy too! We were starving!
Saevar drove us to his parents house in our new car...I really like it-it's a volkswagon passat wagon!!! It rides nice and it's clean and roomy...It will be perfect for the new baby!!!!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
The Big Apple...
I'm here in Brooklyn, NY this Sunday morning at my mom's apartment. Several things have happened since me and Sy left Huntsville last week. I have been in Brooklyn with my mom since Weds night. Anna flew in from Toronto the same night and stayed with us until Friday night. We had a great time....On Thursday we went to Manhattan and showed Anna around the Big Apple...That night we went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway...It was great! We really enjoyed it...Friday we went to Central Park and the Metropolitain Muesem...The park was beautiful...There were so many people working it to help keep it beautiful...I was really surprised by all the people biking and running and exercising in the park.
I will be honest, since I have been pregnant (I am 9 weeks!) I have done absolutely no physical activity...I am really ashamed to say that, but its true...HOWEVER in the last three days I have walked the streets of NY so much I feel like my LEGS are going to fall off...ridiculous!!!!...I plan to get on a strict exercise regimen when I get to Iceland...
Yesterday me and momma went to Long Island to visit my grandma, my aunts, and my cousins...It was great to see everyone...
Saevar has been in lceland since Tuesday of last week...He has been practicing and spending time with his family. He also found us a cute little 2 bedroom apartment. He sent me pics but I can't wait to see it...He also found us a car...A little VW passat wagon...Sy says its pretty roomy and it should meet our needs nicely with the new baby on the way and all...
The baby is doing well as far as I can tell...I am still have nausea all the time but other than that I am doing great!!!!
I will be honest, since I have been pregnant (I am 9 weeks!) I have done absolutely no physical activity...I am really ashamed to say that, but its true...HOWEVER in the last three days I have walked the streets of NY so much I feel like my LEGS are going to fall off...ridiculous!!!!...I plan to get on a strict exercise regimen when I get to Iceland...
Yesterday me and momma went to Long Island to visit my grandma, my aunts, and my cousins...It was great to see everyone...
Saevar has been in lceland since Tuesday of last week...He has been practicing and spending time with his family. He also found us a cute little 2 bedroom apartment. He sent me pics but I can't wait to see it...He also found us a car...A little VW passat wagon...Sy says its pretty roomy and it should meet our needs nicely with the new baby on the way and all...
The baby is doing well as far as I can tell...I am still have nausea all the time but other than that I am doing great!!!!
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