The Stavdals

Today is the last day of the paternity leave. The salaried six weeks off and an additional two weeks transferred from my wife's maternity leave, gave me the privelege of staying at home with Niklas. The time was worthwhile and the two months have been unquestionably fantastic! We have bonded and love has blossomed.

I was devastated to receive a groupmail from one of my friends where he tells he was recently rediagnosed with cancer after 17 years of good health. He initially decided to create a blog to keep his friends and associates up to speed on the situation, but he soon found himself sharing his every-day life-experience with cancer including his first encounter with the disease seventeen years ago. His vivid and descriptive language coupled with both reflections and the inevitable search for answers and meaning make this Christian blogger one you must read. Join him on his journey by visiting "En vandring har tatt til". He writes in Norwegian. May I encourage my readers to keep him and his family in your prayers and send him a message of encouragement.

It's absolutely spectacular having the sun back after three months of polar night here in the northern part of Norway at a latitude within the Arctic Circle. The first time the sun peeps over the mountains where we live, is on 20. January. To relish the sweetness of sun-rays, we went for a stroll and to capture the moment I took a few pictures with my tiny Canon Ixus. Read more to see what it looked like!

Over a week after turning eleven, Thomas threw a birthday party to which all the boys in his class at school were invited. No girls this year. It was his own choice to serve the guests veggie-and turkey hot dogs, and ice-cake for dessert. After singing "Happy Birthday" and the food-phase of the celebration, watching "Bruce Almighty" more or less consumed the remaining time of the party. Judging by giggling and laughter throughout the film, Jim Carrey's aptitude for comedy definitely appealed to them, and they appeared to catch the serious themes of the movie as well.