9 - 15

An update on my Christmas Calendar.

Day 9 - Folder and Quick Stick Dots

Day 10: Electronic Card Shuffler

Day 11: National Park Quarters 2010 Collector Folder
(with the California quarter)

Day 11: Turtles Chocolate

Day 12: Pencils

Day 13: The Bridges of Madison County Book

Day 14: Caramel Popcorn

Day 15: Mascara

Festival of Lights & My First Diamond

Bryan and I went to the Festival of Lights in Chickasha this weekend. It was so lovely :) First we ate dinner at Olive Garden. We listened to Baby, It's Cold Outside by Zooey Deschanel and Leon Redbone the whole way there and the whole way back. Before went out to look at the lights we got some hot chocolate drinks. They helped keep us warm a while longer.

The Festival has millions of lights in all shapes and sizes. It was beautiful but cold.

Merry Christmas in Norwegian

Spinning under a tower of lights

Under a tunnel of lights

Later in the weekend Bryan and I decided to exchange a few Christmas gifts (one each). I gave him a personalized Clint Eastwood autographed picture:

"Best to Bryan 

Clint Eastwood"

I, on the other hand, received a gorgeous white gold diamond necklace!! Ahhh! My first diamond! It's utterly perfect!

Christmas Decorations

'Tis the Season! And people in my neighbourhood have decorated A LOT for it. Yesterday Mum and I took a walk to look at all the lights and other decorations. In England there's usually one house on a street that has an obscene amount of decor (including my dad's Uncle Bob and Aunt Brenda) whereas the rest are pretty dull. In Norway some people put some lights on a tree. But here almost every house has been decorated with something. It's beautiful!

Large Santa outside our neighbour's house - it lights up in the dark

Gingerbread House

Mickey and Minni Mouse coming out of a Christmas present

The best house is coming up next. We spoke to the woman of the house and she kept insisting that it would be so much better the next day. Can you believe that she still had things to put up? She was extremely nice and even invited us to see the back of the house.

Best House Part 1

Best House Part 2

Best House Part 3

Best House Part 4 - The back of the house

My favourite decoration

Snowman Family

Our contribution

To conclude, we should all be thankful for the invention of LED lights.

2 - 8

When my parents came home after their trip to Norway they got a Chocolate Calendar for Bryan and me. So now Bryan gets to experience the joys of eating a chocolate every day :)

My Pondus Christmas Calendar

Other than getting a chocolate every day I have also been opening a present a day. Here's what I've got so far:

Day 2: Glue Sticks

Day 3: Snake Charm

Day 4: Lucy in the Afternoon

Day 5: Danish Butter Cookies

Day 6: Snowman Decoration

Day 7: Knee High Tights

Day 8: Beef Jerkey

So far my favourite has been either the cup I got on day 1 or the snowman decoration. 

Christmas Calendar

Most Norwegian parents give their children a Chistmas Calendar. There are many different types. The most common is a chocolate calendar which is basically a box with 24 slots than you can open. Behind each one there is a chocolate. The biggest one you get on the 24th. The chocolate is not usually very good, but chocolate is chocolate - as long as it's not Hershey's blah! Sometimes there is also a quote or a picture inside. You can get all different kinds. Here's one:

These are difficult to find in Oklahoma (basically impossible), so I did not get one this year. 

Another thing that most Norwegian parents make for their children is a present calendar where their children get a present each day until Christmas Eve, when Norwegians celebrate Christmas. Usually this ends when the children are in their teens, but my mother has said that she'll make one for me till I move out of the house, so I got one this year too (Lancaster didn't count). WOHO!! I guess Bryan will have to take over when I move out hehe. 

Here it is

The things don't usually cost much, though the price of each item seems to have increased as I've grown older.  Apparantly it's easier to find things for a child than a grown-up. Today this is what I got:

Thanksgiving

This last week has been full of exciting Thankgiving adventures. We don't have this holiday in Norway, so it was an experience. I don't know why exactly they celebrate it. Something about pilgrims and Indians and turkey.

As some of you may know, my parents abandoned me for this holiday to sort things out with our new tenants. So I have been fending for myself - mostly by reading the highly addicting Twilight Saga (which I'm almost done with - took me less than a fortnight). Other spare time has been spent on homework and with my darling Bryan. We've watched quite a few million movies, ate tons of beef jerkey, read by the fireplace and played minigolf.

My ball fell in the water

For actual Thanksgiving day I ate at the school Principal's house with my brilliant history teacher Jim and other international students. It only lasted an hour, so after it was over Bryan led the way to his grangparent's house. I basically ate TWO Thankgiving meals. Both places served turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables and gravy. It reminded me of a typical English Sunday dinner. 

Pilgrims

At his grandparent's house

Summer lights

As you may know, I love the movie (500) Days of Summer and I especially love Summer (Zoeey Deschanel)'s apartment. My favourite part of her apartment is the blue lights she has hanging above her bed, so I decided to do the same now that they're selling Christmas lights in the shops. I think they look really cool!

Lights in (500) Days of Summer

Lights in my bedroom

Lights in (500) Days of Summer

Lights in my bedroom

Untitled Terrence Malick Project

Yesterday was a truly amazing day (apart from a history test). There's a film being shot in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, on a ranch owned by Bryan's best friend(John)'s grandfather. It's about 2 1/2 hours away from where I live. John was kind enough to arrange for us to be able to come on set and we went yesterday. We were there for about four hours. Not much happened the first hour, but we got to know the director's wife "Ekkie." The others (including Ben Affleck and Terrence Malick) were shooting in a field about one minute away from us. After an hour was up Ben and Terri walked up to where we were and one of my favourite actresses Rachel McAdams and her boyfriend Michael Sheen walked on set with them.

Rachel and Ben had many love scenes. Bryan and I think it was a montage sequence as much seemed improvised and Terri was telling them what to do while they were rolling. It was so much fun! Rachel and Ben were just playing around in the field. I was in awe when standing just a few feet away from Rachel. I was dying to be introduced to her, and finally was at the end of the day. John was spending a lot of time with Ekkie and so we asked her to introduce us. First we met Ben, who told us that we shouldn't do anything the way we'd seen it happening on set. Then we met Rachel and Michael. She is so beautiful! Finally we met Terri. Everyone was so kind. It was a wonderful day!

Rachel McAdams

Ben Affleck

Michael Sheen

Terrence Malick