Praise Odin, our daughter slept through the night

We are incredibly lucky that Annalise has always been an amazing sleeper. As early as two months old, she was regularly sleeping seven hours per night. I don’t think we can credit our superior parenting; she’s just that kind of kid, though we also give some credit to the SNOO smart bassinet. On a typical […]

Annalise reviews: the “Scandinavian sleep method”

This is the first in a series where Annalise reviews things about Norwegian life. Today, the “Scandinavian sleep method.” Apparently there is a viral trend on a social media platform we don’t use that was profiled in the Washington Post: the “Scandinavian sleep method.” The concept is that two people share a bed with no […]

The only people responding appropriately to air travel are the crying children

The part of this trip we most feared, by far, was the overnight flight with Annalise. Annalise has flown, but only on direct flights during the day. These flights went well, but involved us playing a lot of defense, as her radius of impact gradually grew to include more and more of our seat neighbors […]

What did we pack?

To make this trip, we each get two checked bags with which to make a life in a cold, rainy place where people love the outdoors. This is not easy! Every T-shirt must also be an undershirt. Every long-sleeved shirt must also be a layer. Anything more formal than jeans is brought regretfully, as it’ll […]

A Third Taylor Goes North: An Interview with Our Toddler

It’s official: we’re going back to Norway for another year. Gavin has another sabbatical and we’ll be back in Trondheim in late June. It’s been much easier to prepare for this time, since Gavin and I know more or less what to expect. Annalise, of course, has no idea what to expect — or really […]

A Few Final Reflections

This is our last week in Norway! Today we are flying to Raleigh, NC, where we’ll spend a couple of days with my parents, brother, and extended family. My parents have been gracious enough to keep our car this year, so we’ll pick that up and drive back to Annapolis on Saturday. So as a […]

Pictures from my favorite spot in Trondheim

I walked past this spot twice a day, on my way to and from work. As the light and weather changed, I took to taking my camera with me to work, and if I saw something happening with the light out my window, I’d go out and take some pictures. Aside from the mountains, the […]

“At Last, the Lofoten” OR “In Cod We Trust” OR “Finally, Some Dudes”

Well, folks, we’re about done here. We have a few more summing-up posts planned, but we’ve pretty much run out of time for more trips and places to take pictures. Fortunately, we saved some great stuff for the end. Throughout our time here in Norway, Norwegians have been asking us, “Have you been to the […]

Ålesund with a capital Å

We’re pretty continually amazed by what our Davidson friends grow up to do, and our friends Katie and Laetitia are great examples of that. Katie is the Senior Veterinarian at the North Carolina Zoo in Greensboro. Within half an hour of our arrival, she was walking us through the process of performing a fish necropsy. […]

Yes, Work Exists

I think it’s fair to say that this blog has not focused much at the reason we are ostensibly here. Some of you are confused as to why your tax dollars are allowing me to do this! To clarify why this trip is happening at all: the USNA is hoping I’ll learn something new and […]