Emma and Joel - 2009 the year that was ...

What a year! Where to even start?! This year has been an absolute cracker! It has been one we will always remember.

It began in great form celebrating New Years Eve with Joel’s brother Simon at home in Stavanger. The rest of Joel’s family who joined us for a wonderful holiday in France and Christmas day here with us (http://skandyadventures.blogspot.com/2009/01/pre-christmas-family-visit-big-surprise.html) had left to continue travelling or head home. We were flying out to Melbourne on New Years Day.

We had about 2 weeks back in Melbourne, as always when we come home to visit it was extremely hectic but so amazing to see all our friends and family. It had been around 2 years since our last visit. Using Brett and Sam’s place (Port Melbourne) as a base we were able to get around to see lots of people and of course experience some of the Melbourne things we really miss.

Our visit culminated in our Engagement Party down at Patterson Lakes (http://skandyadventures.blogspot.com/2009/02/melbourne-extravaganza.html). We were blessed with a beautiful evening with lots of sunshine and about 100 of our friends and family there. Especially it was amazing to see all the babies that have been born since we’ve been away! It was like a crèche in mum and dad’s living room!

Having just been in Melbourne and being able to spend time with my beautiful Grandma Holloway was so poignant, as she passed away peacefully in February. It was difficult being so far away from my family during that time, but Joel was a wonderful support and our friends here were absolutely amazing. Work colleagues too were incredibly supportive. There are some tears as I write this but she had such a wonderful life and lived to the age of 92, I know it was her time and that she was ready.

Late in March we were very excited to welcome the arrival of our first nephew Lenny Ireland born to Joel’s brother Simon and his wife Clare. We have since had the chance to meet him and he is truly a beautiful little boy http://skandyadventures.blogspot.com/2009/04/welcome-to-world-lenny-ireland.html, I don’t know I’ve encountered a baby who is so quick to smile and just light up with the slightest encouragement!

In April, Easter was spent in Sauda with Louise and Charles, where we also got to catch up with Mari, Kev and Oscar (it’s Mari’s home-town). We enjoyed the skiing and it was a fantastic place to celebrate my birthday. http://skandyadventures.blogspot.com/2009/04/easter-at-sauda.html.

In May we sadly mourned the passing of Joel’s Nan, Pat Ireland. She died very peacefully and at the age of 93 having lived a full and wonderful life. Pat was Joel’s last surviving grandparent. With Joel having just supported me through my Grandma’s death, now it was my turn to be there for him, and like me, he felt the pain of being away from family during a time of grief. We were very thankful for the time we spent with Pat during our Melbourne visit, she was a gracious, strong woman and she is missed.

June was a month of work travel for me with a 3 week trip to KL, New York and Toronto http://skandyadventures.blogspot.com/2009/06/kuala-lumpur-new-york-and-toronto-in-3.html. I also had the chance to spend some time with my 3rd cousin Elle. She was celebrating her birthday and we certainly had plenty to talk about with both of us planning weddings in 09! She and her husband James are now expecting their first baby, very exciting!

The highlight of July was without doubt the wedding of our very close friends, Mari and Kev. They had planned a beautiful celebration, a total mix of Aussie and Norwegian guests and traditions. They brought everyone together beautifully and Mari was a stunning, elegant bride. And Kev scrubs up ok too. Unfortunately our camera battery died in the church before it even started (!), but there are some gorgeous pics on their blog http://mariandkev.blogspot.com/2009/08/mr-mrs.html). I loved being part of their celebrations by helping with the hens party preparations and Joel and I had a pre-wedding get together at our place for all the wedding guests. It was such a happy, fun occasion and 6 months down the track, they’re a very happy family with 1 y.o Oscar (Emma’s god-son).

From there the year seems to have flown by so quickly. Joel had a month-long offshore trip in September. It was the culmination of over a year’s planning and was extremely successful. He worked so hard in the lead up to this trip, his overtime was absolutely ridiculous from around May onwards! But I think he would tell you that it was all worthwhile as the project was carried out extremely professionally and he has since received many congratulations and compliments on his dedication and the results. He’s certainly a clever cookie and I’m extremely proud of him. We enjoyed a long weekend in Stockhom hosted by our friends Regina and Ulf. It was our first time to Sweden and we had a fabulous time out at Reg’s parents property http://skandyadventures.blogspot.com/2009_09_01_archive.html.

Our November/December trip to Melbourne was absolutely wonderful. The wedding was such a happy, memorable occasion that brought together so many people who are part of our lives. We were absolutely stunned and so grateful to have 7 friends from Norway join us in Melbourne for the event. It was also especially touching for us to see how even after 3 years living overseas and not seeing much of our ‘people’ back home, they still went to so much effort and care so much to see us and be part of our big celebration. It is very humbling actually to have been on the receiving end of such goodwill and generosity. For those who are closest to us you can multiply those sentiments by 100 – they truly went above and beyond to give us an amazing wedding celebration.

The year has been special for our family as well, here is a quick update:

Ann and Nigel, my parents, have had a fantastic year. Dad celebrated his 60th birthday in April with (in true Cousins style…) a huge party at the Peninsula Golf Club. They have been enjoying lots of trips with their new deluxe caravan heading off to different parts of Victoria and interstate. 2010 is shaping up to be a big year for them with travel as mum is retiring in January and Dad has some long service leave owing. A visit to Peru with us in February for Paola and Paul’s wedding followed with hopefully a visit to us over here some time around Summer are in the offing.

Joel’s mum Bernadette has had a great year especially enjoying her Grandkids, Eliza and Lenny with many trips up to Colbinabbin and down to Frankston. She continues to work hard in her job as a supervising nurse in a nursing home. She is always extremely busy catching up with friends and families, so many times when we phone her she’s off walking or catching up for coffee with a girlfriend. We hope she can come to visit us in 2010, her visit in 08 was so memorable and we would love to be able to do it all again!

John and Sharyn (Joel’s Dad and Stepmum) have also been enjoying their Grandkids. With the building of their home Westbury up on a big property in Trentham now completed they have been able to trade in the weekends of building and hard yakka with some time to really enjoy the fruits of their labour. Of course there is always something to do, with revitalising the ginseng crop, building up the vegetable garden and I’m sure a million other projects. John’s next adventure will be bee-keeping, and at his recent 60th celebration which we were fortunate to be part of during our trip, the gift of a bee keeping course, club membership and some kit to get started will hopefully come in handy. They had a near miss in the bushfires early in 2009 with fires coming within kilometres of the property. In July, Sharyn’s went to India to work as part of a team of doctors and nurses from The Alfred to help build up a trauma training program. The numbers of people who die from traumatic injury in India (particularly from road accidents) is just heartbreaking. It’s wonderful that Australia can share our skilled medical personnel and experience with a country like India where the resources are so scarce, and we know Sharyn found the experience incredibly challenging and rewarding.

Sally has been working incredibly hard this year – her paid job being only part of it! As my maid of honour she has been running around all year to help me prepare for the wedding. From dress hunting in January, to making decorations, planning appointments, sourcing cake makers and anything and everything in between, she has had a busy year and has earned a rest from it all now her big sister is finally hitched! On the other hand her efforts in her job have also been rewarded with a promotion at the end of this year, entirely well deserved and hard-earned. She is looking for an apartment to invest in, and now that her part time job as maid of honour has finished I’m sure that will make the hunt that much easier.

Brett and Sam moved into Clonaig St early in the year and have made it a beautiful home. He spent a few weeks in LA mid-year as part of an acting workshop which not only allowed him to hone his acting skills, but also build on his network of contacts which in the acting world means an awful lot. Brett has been working hard on developing a film script, and his efforts were rewarded late this year being awarded a grant from Film Victoria to further develop the script with funding and support of some seasoned industry professionals. It’s a huge credit to him and his skills as a writer, not just an actor. We wish him all the luck in the world with the script. Sam continues to impress as the seasoned career woman that she is, highlighted by winning trips to Hamilton Island and tickets to virtually any sporting/cultural/Fashion event that’s worth going to. She is a formidable social coordinator herself and the many parties, weekends away etc. that she plans certainly make me rather jealous that I can’t live closer to be part of it!

Joel's sisters Emma and Rebecca have been busy. Emma has completed her studies in nursing and midwifery, doing many hours of practical work experience at The Royal Womens hospital. Her studies and hard work paid off with an offer of a job next year at The Royal Womens - her top preference, and she was on top of their list of candidates. Rebecca continues her Health Science studies, is working part time at Grill'd, and spending time with her boyfriend Ian who we met in Melbourne (a lovely guy).

Clare and Simon’s year has been highlighted by the arrival of their first child, Lenny. They bought a beautiful home in Colbinabbin (about 60km NE from Bendigo), and were able to move in just before Lenny’s arrival. We haven’t had a chance yet to visit their home, hopefully we can make it there on our next trip down under. They are wonderful parents (as evidenced by their totally adorable, chilled out little boy!) and we thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them in Melbourne and Lorne.

Fraze, Zac and Eliza have some very exciting news that they were able to share at the end of 2009, they are expecting a baby! A little brother or sister for our beautiful niece Eliza. It was fantastic spending time with them during our visit, and the change in Eliza since their visit in late 08 was remarkable! She has grown up so much, and you can imagine how quietly thrilled we were when she calls us “unky Joel” and “auntie emma”! Thank you Zac and Fraze for ensuring that we are still part of her life, though we live far away.

So as we are about to get started cooking the ham and stuffing the turkey, looking out over snow-covered Stavanger, we look forward to a very happy and relaxed Christmas Day. We are thinking of all our friends and family at this very special time of year. Really, since the wedding we’ve had some time to reflect on it all and are so appreciative and want to thank you all for being part of this momentous year for us. More than ever before we are really feeling the love and support from everyone in our lives and there is no better way to start out on this journey together as husband and wife.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year.

Here is a slideshow of the year that was for Emma and Joel.

Ps: Australia and Cook Island pictures and blog still to come.

A White Christmas!

What a difference a fortnight can make! This time two weeks ago we were living it up at the Cook Islands enjoying high 20's temperatures and the most amazing beaches you can imagine. Today we are experiencing below zero temperatures and around 40cm of snow in the last 24 hours! It is really quite amazing, probably the most snow we have seen around our home since we moved here. And the timing is perfect - it looks like we're set for our first ever white christmas! Here are a few snaps! Click on the album to view in larger format.

We will be receiving our professional photos soon and will of course make a few blogs covering our amazing wedding and honeymoon, watch this space!