30 days of 29, day 29: Ask me anything

Today I am answering your questions! You have until midnight to ask me anything you like, and I will do my best to answer.

Keep your eyes on this post, as I will just keep adding to it as the questions come.

Barb
Has anything about motherhood surprised you?

I have definitely been surprised by a few of the obvious things, like how well I can function without sleep, or just how many songs and nursery rhymes I can pull out of my brain at a moment's notice, but the biggest best surprise so far has been just how much I like my son. Obviously I expected to love and adore him, but I have been surprised by how fun he is to be around. Even at five months, he's just a funny, personable little guy who makes me laugh and whose company I just really enjoy.



Aubrey
Can I ask a few?
Yes, go ahead.

What is your favorite childhood memory?
It's impossible to pick just one, but I do love remembering the (seemingly) endless summers, spent half on my grandparents farm in Cornwall and half running wild at home in Norway. In my memories it's always sunny, we're always outside and there are always friends or cousins to play with.

What is your favorite (English)crisp flavor?
Cheese and onion. Oh baby! And I have some happy memories of eating Hula Hoops off my fingers.
Who were you supporting in the World Cup Final?
First England. Then Ghana. Then I stopped caring. Sorry Tess!

How do you feel about turning 30?
Happy and relaxed. I'm just at such a good stage in my life right now, so I am really looking forward to more of the same in my 30s.

Madsta
1. What did you study at university?
More to the point, what didn't I study at University? I started out as a Print Journalism major, but knew within a semester that it wasn't for me. Then I wanted to study Photography, but that didn't pan out either. And neither did Visual Art. But I finally settled on a bachelor's degree in Humanities with an Art History emphasis and a minor in Scandinavian Studies. Now say that fast 10 times!

2. Is Espen's name British/Norwegian/American and how did you pick it?
Espen's name is a very old, Norwegian name. Nick and I both liked the idea of him having a Norwegian name, but we wanted one that non-Norwegians could easily pronounce too. We both liked Espen a lot, and after we met him, it just seemed to fit. We hope that he will like it too!

3. Do you think you will stay in America now?
We are very happy here for now, and little Spanish Fork is really starting to feel like home to me, but if the opportunity to move arose, we would consider living in either Norway or England, as well as relocating within the US.

4. What's your favourite past time?
Nick and I have always watched a lot of movies together, and both have a huge weakness for English murder mysteries! Since Espen was born, we have been watching a film or a television series together almost every night, so that's definitely a popular pastime! Other than that, I love to travel and visit new places, I love visiting museums, and I like to dabble vaguely with photography.

5. What's your favourite colour?
It was red for years and years, but now I seem to be back to blue again, with a little penchant for green. I also go nutty for anything robin's egg blue, especially in home decor.

6.what's your favourite food?
I LOVE Indian food, and could probably eat it every day. It's sort of a mystery to me why I was born in Norway, and not India. I also have a love affair with strawberries and dark chocolate. And I drink milk by the gallon!

7.what are your hopes for the future?
To become a little bit better every day, and to make my little corner of the world a happy and safe place to be.

Carolyn
How did you meet your husband?
Short version: I came home from school one day and he was in my kitchen making mashed potatoes. Six years later, we went on a date.
Long version: Nick was serving in Norway as a missionary for our church, and I lived in his first area. He was only there for two months, so although we liked each other well enough, we didn't really get to know each other very well. Two years later, we were both students at BYU, and would see each other as friends every once in a while. After four years of being friends, we finally went on a date, and the rest, as they say, is history...

Holly
1. What do you enjoy about knitting?
Cheap therapy? There's just something very relaxing and satisfying about slowly, but steadily creating something with my hands. I think I also like the systematic, organized nature of it, almost like solving a puzzle in a different language. And I have the control to make things exactly the way I want them. Wow, I sound like a nut.

2. Are you a morning or night person?
I'm a night person by choice, but am becoming more of a morning person by habit. Espen does not like sleeping in, which means that my day starts when his does. However, most nights it is almost impossible for me to get to bed before midnight, because I just enjoy staying up with Nick.

3. Favorite cereal? Favorite breakfast food?
My favourite cereal goes in waves. But frequent faves are Honey Nut Cheerios, Kix and Cinnamon Oatmeal squares. I like most breakfast foods, but lately I've really wanted poached eggs. Sadly, no egg poacher.

4. If you could have any calling in the church, which one would you choose?
I really liked being in the Primary presidency and I liked teaching Sunday School, so those would be good. But really, I'd like to be the wife of the president of the Norway Oslo Mission.

5. Which parent are you more like? ....or which qualities do you see of both of them in you?
I think I'm a pretty good mix of both of them. I love history like my dad, I'm pretty capable in the kitchen like my mum, I'm a conflict-avoider like my dad and I love my family with a fierceness nigh unto death like my mum.

6. What's one of your fears?
Losing someone I love. Even the thought makes me sick.

7. What's one of outrageous dreams that you don't really think will come true, but it's fun to think about it anyway?
Haha, I'm just like Ralphie in a Christmas Story when he imagines his teacher reading his essay to the class and they break out in applause and carry him on their shoulders in celebration of his genius! I always have these crazy 8 year-old day dreams about how I'm going to do something, and everyone I know will just be blown away by it. "Wow, Tamsin: I had no idea you could sing/bake/dance/ski jump/reupholster like a goddess! I am just in awe of your amazingness!"

Alternately, I like to day dream about our future home and how it has an indoor swimming pool with a roof that lifts off in the summer, and a fireplace in every room.

8. What new talent do you want to develop?
I'd really like to take a photography class so I can move beyond the "point and shoot" setting on our camera.

9. How do you feel about your name? Have you always liked it? Where does it come from? Does it mean anything?
I used to hate my name, because I hated being different. Then I grew up and realized that I'm always going to be a little different, because that is just who I am. Now my name is just part of who I am, and I love it.
Tamsin is the Cornish (from Cornwall in England, where I was born) form of Thomasina, which is the feminine form of Thomas, which means "twin" in Hebrew.

10. How did you and Nick go from friends to dating?
I think it all started when Nick came to a math conference in Norway the summer of 2004. I was home, and so we spent a few days together traveling up the West coast of Norway, and then a few more days at my parents house. We'd been friends for a long time, but didn't really realize how comfortable we were with each other until we spent that much more time together. Then, in the fall of 2004, we started going on a few casual dates, and by Christmas we were both pretty sure we liked each other and had even held hands - gosh!
I went out of state for Christmas break, and we both missed each other a lot. I think we were "officially" dating within 24 hours of my return, and engaged six weeks later.

A few more from Madsta

1. whats your favourite place in all of England?
I love-love-love Cornwall and just feel so lucky to have family there. My favourite places in Cornwall are St. Ives, my grandparents farm, Truro cathedral and Gwithian beach. To name a few!

2. what do you love most about Utah?
That my family lives here :) It's a beautiful part of the world, and even though I've lived here for 10 years, I still find myself commenting on how beautiful the mountains are on a near-daily basis. It's also honestly nice to be surrounded mostly by people who share my faith, so I don't have to feel like a weirdo all the time.

3. do you want to have a big family?
I only have one brother, and Nick comes from a family of six kids, so we will probably meet in the middle somewhere.

4. do you have a favourite old pet?
Several. We always had cats and dogs when I was growing up, and I loved all of them. It doesn't seem fair to pick favourites!

5. what is your favourite shop and why?
I yearn for things from all sorts of places, but IKEA is somewhere I always want to go. They have good design for not much money, and we can buy Scandinavian food there, which is the world's biggest lifesaver when you are as far from home as I am. Now, if they could only transport Tesco's out here.... :)

6. your favourite restaurant?
The Bombay House in Provo. Don't let anyone tell you they love it more than I do, for they are all filled with lies. It is mine, all mine!

Erin
1.If you could have any occupation you wanted (in addition to being a momma), what would it be, and why?
If there was a plausible way for me to work and take care of someone who needs me 24/7, I would love to be a curator for a small museum. That way I could be surrounded by art and history, and boss people around. Dream job!

2. What is your most embarrassing moment? (if it's too embarrassing, you don't have to answer).
It might not be the most embarrassing, but there was the time that I thought my professor suggested that we go and take a nap together. Which wasn't even remotely close to what he said at all, but it was what I responded to. Not even the earth swallowing me whole could have made that one go away.

3. What is your favorite form of dance and why?
I really like to watch modern dance, it's so expressive and unpredictable. Also, if 1980s dance movies count as a form of dance, then sign me up for the fan club! :)

4. If you had a mystery to solve, which fictional British detective (or Belgium--if you want Poirot) would you choose to help you solve, and why?
Probably Inspector Morse, because I like him so. I have to admit that I have a bit of a creepy crush on him! However, if there was time travel to be involved, I would probably pick Poirot or Miss Marple, so I could dress more prettily than I do now, wear red lipstick and drive around in awesome cars.