Ahoy! I sail! I'm a sailor! I sail! (aka Movie Clip Monday!)

Sometimes we have an opportunity to do something we've never done before. These things can be frightening; perhaps they seem impossible. But if it's front of you, I say Go for it! Who knows how awesome it will make you feel?



Although I don't recommend tying yourself to the mast of a sailboat if you decide to go sailing, like Bob does in this scene in What About Bob? Sailboats tip over often. It could be unfortunate. So maybe if you have the opportunity to do something new, do some research too. And then go for it!

It's pretty obvious I'm Scandinavian

Saturday night was my last night in Trondheim. Of course, being the girls we are, we did it right and went out to the club. It was a perfect night of drinking, talking, dancing and the requisite kebab stand visit.

I have had a wonderful vacation so far in Norway. There are so many things that I love about this place. Here they are, in no particular order:

• My dear friend Johanna. We met in the laundry room of our building a little more than a year ago in Minneapolis. She has shown me what a good friend is, how to be a better friend, and a number of great places, from Billings, Montana to Trondheim, Norway.

• The food!!! Oh.My.God. These people know what they're doing. I've eaten venison meatballs with (freshly picked) mushrooms, salmon filets with lemon cream sauce and pan-fried flounder with butter sauce. And that was just one weekend! My friend assures me that not all Norwegians eat like them. Regardless, I have dined out twice in the two weeks I have been here, and although the sushi was some of the best I have ever had, those meals were probably my least favorite.


• Johanna's family. They are some of the most loving and welcoming people I have ever met. I feel like part of the family. I moved in with her cousin; he had never even met me. I spent a weekend with more of her cousins boating and relaxing on the water this summer. I am leaving after a week and a half of non-stop hospitality from her parents. They're the perfect hosts and wonderful to spend time with. It's so nice to have such great people in my life. And I haven't laughed this hard in years.


• All the water around me. Yes, I know I live by the ocean. But I walk out the door and cross the river Nidelva. The fish market and harbor are within walking distance. It just all feels so right. I think it's the Minnesotan in me.


• The age of the city. This is something that I miss every time I leave somewhere in Europe. The Nidarosdomen cathedral was built about 1000 years ago. Yup. The U.S. just celebrated its 200th birthday. It's just a different world, and I love it.

I have one more day in Oslo, and I am really looking forward to my time there. I am sure there will be more things to love and I am sad to leave, but as an old friend of mine once said: "How can I miss you if you don't go away?"

How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time!

This weekend I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and saw a great white shark. It was pretty amazing. These sharks don't do well in captivity. They are rescued, cared for and released quickly back to the ocean. I was really blessed to be able to get there and see it.

One of my life goals is to swim with great white sharks. You know--in a giant cage surrounded by bloody fish guts.

For the longest time I thought that it would take ages for me to realize that goal. Actually, there are a lot of life goals I have that seem pretty overwhelming: see the Olympics, live in Ireland, perfect the over easy egg. But I realized on the day I visited the aquarium that it's all about taking little steps to make the big thing happen.

My goal is to swim with the sharks. I've now seen a live great white in person. I live near the ocean. It's only a matter of time before I'll be swimming with them. My goal is to see the Olympics. I have friends of friends that ski in the Olympics and the winter games are in Vancouver next. I happen to know someone who lives there. I want to live in Ireland. I've visited several areas. I also have a good friend who will help me get a visa and find a place to stay. The eggs? Well, I just keep trying.

I guess the pattern I'm noticing in this is that a big life goal is just a series of small steps. There's a tendency to look at the large picture and get discouraged. But really, it's all about finding the path and walking along, asking for directions. This is not an all-or-nothing thing--that's too extreme. If we looked at it that way, we could be tempted to not do anything at all.

Doing the little things in between is what is really important. Patience and following through is how we can achieve all things, big and small---swimming with sharks and cooking eggs.