Here Comes the Sun!
It's so nice outside!! Even Kaden remarked how much better and happier the sunshine makes you feel. There have been some signs of spring for a couple of weeks now: little vintergækker (snowdrops) are springing up everywhere, trees and bushes are starting to leaf out, and the sun is blinding us almost daily. I've resumed my bike rides to work (on days I don't have to show up early for lab work), Zac is jogging in the afternoons, and Harrison is busy outside quite often.
Even this precious cat is back to her sunny-day adventures!
Zac got the windows all clean and clear, so the light really comes in nicely all day long. Yay for spring!
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Danish classes are coming along. We are approaching the end of Module 3.4 (only one more to go after that!) - we take our exam at the end of May. We discuss equality, danish culture, music, family dynamics, and all kinds of other topics as we develop our language skills. It helps round out our vocabulary and speak conversationally.
Unfortunately, every time we start a new module (with new classmates), we have to teach people about Zac's banana migraines and ask that they not bring bananas into the classroom. This time, our instructor was the one who opened a banana in the classroom during the break and sent Zac bolting out of the room. I was left behind to explain the situation to all the people staring confusedly after him, but at least now they know.
Harrison has also expressed an interest in speaking more Danish lately, so sometimes, we read Danish books or try to speak in Danish at dinnertime and bedtime. I don't push it, but I get excited when he is enthusiastic about it. I also love his little Danglish phrases and notes. Sometimes, he speaks by mixing the languages, just using the Danish he knows and filling in English words (sometimes spoken in a Danish sort of accent). It's pretty cute.
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Speaking Danish-ly, we owe a stort Tillykke to Khloe for her 14th birthday! In true Danish fashion, we put out the flags along the walkways so that everyone passing by knows there's a reason to celebrate at our home.
Khloe had a rocky start to her birthday this year. She was getting headaches of varying severity for weeks leading up to it. We had gone to the doctor and had a blood draw, but that only confused our physician further. The day before Khloe's birthday, we went back to talk to the doctor about her concerns, and she ended up sending Khloe to the pediatric ward at our local hospital to be further evaluated!
This was a birthday bummer because one of her friends was supposed to come home from school with her for a sleepover that evening, and because of the hospital thing, she wasn't going back to school and we didn't even really know if she would have to stay or if she would be out in time for birthday festivities!
Our experience at the hospital pediatric emergency unit was very pleasant. Everyone was really kind and professional. Khloe had another blood draw and took it like a champ. Results were normal, so they set us up with a headache specialist in a couple weeks and let us go home.
We were able to get her friend to come stay the night after all! They made cupcakes and frosting from scratch and had a lot of fun decorating them. They were beautiful and delicious!
Khloe's friends showered her with thoughtful presents and it was very touching. She got family gifts, too, of course, and we enjoyed homemade chicken sandwiches, Ben & Jerry's, and a cozy movie night watching The Electric State.
She's artsy and musical, she has been quite a reader lately, and she's still the sweetest girl in the world. Happy Birthday, Khloe!
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Oh, and we had a visitor from the U.S.! Leslie made her first big international trip to attend a couple days of work meetings in Hørsholm, so we tried hard to make the most of the evening we had together. We even played Copenhagen Bingo while we toured around. (Leslie won.)
We took the train and metro to Christianshavn and made the short walk to Christiania. There was lots of great new graffiti art.
We stopped at the gift shop so she could buy some Christiania-made souvenirs, and then we boogied over to Nyhavn to catch the last human-guided canal boat tour of the evening. It wasn't too cold, and we were well outfitted, but it had started raining a little, so we sat inside the boat. The guide was really sweet and she came inside the cabin to talk to us since there were only five people aboard. It was the most intimate little canal tour I've ever been on. I introduced Leslie to Carlsberg pilsners, and it was a pretty good time.
We got Danish hot dogs from the cart at Nyhavn for dinner and ate them while we walked back to the metro. We got a train beer/cider, ordered Leslie a taxi, made it back to Birkerød, and Zac met us at the station with her luggage right as the taxi pulled up. The visit was short and sweet, but we packed a lot of good times and sightseeing into just a few hours! Until next time, Leslie!
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Zac, as usual, is incredibly handsome and photogenic. He enjoys listening to records and playing guitar in the evenings (although his is supposed to be practicing the violin since it's his year to do Auld Lang Syne for the New Year's video...), and it's always so nice to relax and listen to him play.
He spends time with the kids, too, of course. Just the other evening, he
We decided to start taking care of ourselves a little better, so we are "gym people" now. I think I mentioned in my last post that ALK has a really great gym that's free for employees. We go once a week when no one else is (usually) there, and it's been pretty fun. We keep each other motivated and encouraged, and we discovered that you can connect to the speakers and blast music, too.
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It's important to work out with all this great food they feed us every day. I haven't posted pics of our work lunches for a while, but this past two weeks, there were some amazing plates, so I thought it was time. I'd hate to think you all think we're malnourished or something now that we live in a foreign country. :)
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| Millionbøf with veggie-infused mashed potatoes and fresh salad greens, pesto mozzarella foccacia bread, and a kind of hash brown patty with cream, pink salmon roe, and thin-sliced radishes |
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| Bedstefars skæg ("Grandpa's Beard") cake - a sort of vanilla cake with a raspberry jam topped with sweet meringue |
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| Fresh garden salad with a tangy mustard dressing, baked white fish with citrus mayo, polenta balls with chili mayo, and salmon lasagna topped with baby spinach |
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| Almond cake with an orange whipped frosting topped with brown sugar crumbles |
I don't even know what we did to deserve lunches this delicious, so all I can say is that the kitchen staff at ALK is really just top-notch and I appreciate them every single day.
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Oh, and now for some bad news. Well, kind of inconvenient news, anyway.
PostNord, Denmark's postal carrier service, has announced that after December 2025, they are shifting to a package-only delivery service and will no longer be delivering letters to the people of Denmark.
Data indicate the number of letters sent has decreased 90% since the year 2000 and it is no longer a sustainable service in an increasingly digitized world. On the first of June, the red post boxes will start being removed from every location in the country. This breaks my heart because I think the red post boxes have an indefinable charm, and they are one of my favorite sights around Denmark. (Maybe they'll give me one?)
I know this comes as a harsh blow to the grandparents who enjoy sending their grandkids cards for every birthday and holiday, but be of good cheer! This doesn't necessarily mean that we won't be able to get mail from you anymore, it just means that the Ministry of Transport has to decide how to move forward. There are options for other carriers to take on the service, but as of now, there is no plan.
I'll keep you updated, and in the meantime, I'll just photograph every red post box I see. Sigh...
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Kaden got a new skateboard with birthday money from Aunt Maggie, and he couldn't be more excited. I think he's even been taking it to school with him every day.
He is trying to teach himself how to do all the basic little tricks, and he was proud of his progress after a short period of time practicing out front. He sent me a video!
Harrison has been spending a lot of time in the backyard making his tree fort awesome. Unfortunately, it has been condemned for his own safety right now, but that doesn't stop him from finding ways to keep busy outside. Here he is hitting a rock with a hammer.
Healthy, happy kids spending time outdoors is all we could ask for! Oh my gosh, and speaking of healthy, happy kids, look what I saw at the grocery store:
They have a little cart with free fruit for kids to take! Aww.
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We hope you've all been getting nice spring weather wherever you're at, and that everyone is happy and safe and healthy. I'll see some of you in the U.S. in just one week when I travel back for work! Yay!
Also, here is Han (because everyone else was featured already).
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